Foreigners among war dead, missing

PARIS: Dozens of foreigners have been killed, injured or taken hostage during a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that has left 900 people dead in Israel.

Among the victims are Filipinos.

The Philippines' ambassador to Israel said Tuesday five citizens were unaccounted for, with one of them possibly abducted.

Many of the missing foreigners were at an electronic music festival in the southern Israeli desert, at which scores of revelers were massacred.

Eighteen Thais have been killed, nine have been wounded, and 11 have been taken captive, foreign affairs officials said Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakkapong Sangmanee said about 5,000 Thai nationals had been evacuated from high-risk areas, and «more than 3,000 people [are] asking to return to Thailand.»

The United States confirmed the deaths of at least 11 US citizens and said it was «likely» that Americans were among the hostages being held by Hamas.

«Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel,» President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Ten citizens of Nepal were killed in Kibbutz Alumim, one of the flashpoints of the Hamas assault, the Himalayan republic's embassy in Tel Aviv said on Sunday.

Four others were being treated in hospital while a search was underway for a fifth person, the embassy added.

Kibbutz Alumim was hosting 17 students at the time of the attack.

Argentina's foreign ministry on Monday confirmed that seven of the country's nationals were killed and 15 others were missing.

Two Ukrainian women who had been living in Israel for years were killed, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Sunday.

Two French people have been killed in «Hamas's terrorist attacks against Israel,» the French government said.

A 12-year-old is among 14 of its nationals missing after Hamas launched the deadly raids into Israel, the French foreign ministry said, calling the situation «worrying.»

«Based on the information we have, we consider it highly likely that some of them have been abducted,» the ministry said in a statement, adding that «this number is still subject to change.»

At least