Phirun Thanonphim

Thai farmer dreamed of raising his own cattle. Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

Phirun “Bom” Thanonphim, 34, an agricultural worker from the Kumphawapi District in northeast Thailand’s Udon Thani Province, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

During the Hamas attack, terrorists entered the kibbutz through a southern entrance at 7:27 a.m., heading for the foreign workers’ residences. In total, 11 Thai workers and one Tanzanian were murdered, and five foreign nationals were abducted from there.

Phirun was slain alongside a number of his friends, including Thanakrit Prakotwong, Sakda Surakhai and brothers Apichart and Phongthep Kusaram.

His body was returned to Thailand for burial on October 25. His cremation ceremony was held on October 30.

He is survived by his wife, Pornthip, their three children, his parents, Plaeng and Nipharat, and his five older siblings.

According to a local news site, Phirun’s oldest child was a girl studying in vocational school, then a boy in 6th grade and his youngest was in kindergarten.

His family told a local news outlet that he used to work as a delivery driver in Bangkok before he decided to travel to Israel where he could work and make more money.

Phirun arrived in Israel in 2021 and began working on a dairy farm, sending half of his salary home each month. His dream, his family said, was to build a new house, own a car and have his own cattle farm.

His mother, Nipharat, said they last heard from Phirun on October 6, and “told him to eat more” and that she couldn’t wait to embrace him upon his return.

They never heard from him again, and were informed on October 15 that he had been killed, although they refused to believe the news until his body was returned home.