Sakda Surakhai, 23: Thai farmhand with two young children
Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7
Sakda Surakhai, 32, from Khai Bok Wan in the Nong Khai province of northeast Thailand, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
Kurat Kha-Fluan, a Thai laborer who survived the attack on the kibbutz, told Ma’ariv that “I’ll never forget the terrifying and horrible moments when the Hamas came to our shelter, and starting shooting in every direction — I mostly remember chaos and confusion,” he said, noting that he had blocked out “some of the details, the moments when I saw my friends murdered in front of my eyes.”
In total, 11 Thai nationals were murdered by Hamas in Nir Oz — including brothers Apichart and Phongthep Kusaram — and five others were kidnapped to Gaza. Two of those kidnapped were released in November 2023, two more were freed in January 2025 and one, Pinta Nattapong, is still believed to be held hostage.
Sakda’s body arrived back in Thailand on October 26 for his funeral. He is survived by his wife, Thanita Rahom, their two children, ages 7 and 4, his father, Weerha, and his siblings.
His mother died on September 25, 2023, less than two weeks before he was slain.
In a Facebook post that day, Sakda wrote “Go be an angel in heaven, Mom. No more pain and suffering,” adding: “In the next life, I want to be born as your child again.”
Sakda had arrived in Israel on a five-year contract on October 6, 2022, almost exactly a year before he was killed.
In a Facebook post a few days before departing, Sakda wrote that he “said goodbye to his father and mother to go work far away,” adding that he was “sorry I couldn’t be here to take care of you when you’re old.”
Over the year he was working in Israel he shared images of life on the farm, showing him driving tractors, harvesting pomegranates, picking potatoes and drinking beer and traveling around the country on days off, dotting his posts with Israeli flag emojis.
In a February 2023 post, he shared images from the fields, writing: “It’s called work, if you can do it, it’s great.”
His brother wrote on Facebook that this has been “the most devastating and difficult year of my life. Miracles don’t exist. Sleep well, little brother. Go to a good place. Go take care of our mother in heaven. Don’t worry about the people left behind. I’ll take care of them myself. I’ll do my best. If there’s a next life, let’s be siblings again.”
His sister Jaruwan wrote on Facebook sharing a post of the last time they were together, writing: “Sad memories, I miss you my lovely little brother. Not seeing each other for 9 years is not as painful as not seeing each other again.”
His father Weerha told a local Thai news outlet that when he learned of the attack on Israel, “I could only ask my wife’s spirit to take care of my son and keep him safe, but it was to no avail. My son died as well. It was very sad, the family losses coming at the same time. I still can’t accept it.”
The Times of Israel Community.