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Israeli mother and daughter seriously injured in alleged antisemitic attack in Thailand
French passport holder arrested after the women were hospitalised following an attack near a waterfall on the island Koh Phangan
An Israeli mother and daughter were seriously injured after allegedly being attacked by a man who confronted them about the war in Gaza while they were on holiday in Thailand.
The women, aged 62 and 23, were taken to hospital after the incident near a waterfall on the popular island of Koh Phangan, with the mother suffering bleeding in her head and briefly losing consciousness.
A suspect carrying a French passport was later arrested following a separate incident, according to Ynet, which interviewed the mother from hospital.
The pair had travelled by motorbike to visit the waterfall on Tuesday and were walking towards it when they encountered a man who began talking to them.
The mother said that he had asked her daughter where they were from and she replied that they were Israeli.
She said the man then criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza. After a brief exchange, the women believed the conversation was over and continued on their way.
But moments later, she said, he approached them again and became violent.
“Out of nowhere, he started beating me viciously and bit my ear,” the mother said. “We have injuries all over our bodies, everything is swollen. We went through what felt like a terror attack. It was horrifying.”
She said her daughter attempted to intervene before she too was attacked.
“My daughter tried to protect me and was beaten too,” she said. “We both fought him. I was hit in the head, and at some point I apparently lost consciousness.”
Her daughter eventually ran towards the road for help and attracted the attention of two French women. The attacker then fled on his motorbike, according to the mother’s account.
Emergency services took both Israelis to hospital on Koh Phangan before doctors decided they needed to be transferred by boat to neighbouring Koh Samui.
The mother was admitted to intensive care for 24 hours after a CT scan revealed bleeding in her head. She also underwent surgery on her ear and said she was likely to require another operation. Her daughter underwent surgery on her nose.
Their conditions, initially described as serious, later stabilised.
The mother said the incident had shaken her sense of safety in a country she had regarded as welcoming to Israelis.
“I never thought something like this could happen to me here in Thailand, where people are so friendly towards Israelis,” she told Ynet. “I am always careful and usually do not say I am from Israel. But here in Thailand, I thought it was safe.”
According to her account, the suspect was subsequently detained after allegedly becoming involved in another disturbance and attacking police officers elsewhere.
Police later spoke to the women and connected their complaint with the man already in custody after they were able to recall his name.
“The police did good work and caught that evil man. They did not brush it aside.”
She said the experience had left both women fearful about identifying themselves as Israeli while travelling abroad.
“We will learn not to say we are from Israel, because you can never know how someone will react.”
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