An Israeli mother and daughter were seriously wounded in what authorities are investigating as a nationality-motivated assault on the Thai island of Koh Phangan on Tuesday. Both women required surgery following the attack, and a suspect holding a French passport was later arrested after becoming involved in a separate violent incident in another town.
The 62-year-old mother was visiting Thailand for two weeks and had spent the day with her 23-year-old daughter, who was already traveling in the country. The two rode a motorcycle to visit a waterfall on Koh Phangan on Tuesday, and encountered a man on a motorcycle near the site.
According to the mother's account from her hospital bed, the man asked where they were from, and the daughter said Israel. He then criticized Israel's actions in Gaza, and the mother replied that they were on vacation and did not want to discuss politics. He stated he was "against violence," and the exchange seemed to end.
Minutes later, the situation escalated. The man called out to them from above, came down toward them and attacked. "He started beating me viciously," the mother said. "My daughter tried to protect me and was beaten too." She reported that the attacker bit her ear and she was struck in the head at some point, losing consciousness.
The daughter ran toward the road for help. She managed to call out to two French women who were there, and when the attacker saw that there were other people on the road, he took his motorcycle and fled.
Both women were transported to a hospital on Koh Phangan with serious injuries. Medical evaluation revealed the need for surgery. A CT scan of the mother's head showed that she had bleeding, so she was transferred by boat to a hospital on Koh Samui. According to Ynet, the daughter underwent surgery on her nose, while the mother underwent surgery on her ear and said she would likely require another operation.
Their conditions were initially critical but later stabilized. The mother was in intensive care for 24 hours and said it was the first time they managed to open their eyes, drink and eat, and they are feeling better.
The attacker was identified and arrested through an indirect path. According to the mother, after attacking them, the suspect went to another city, caused a disturbance there and attacked police officers. At that point, authorities did not yet know he was connected to the assault on the Israeli women. When police later interviewed the victims to obtain additional details, the daughter provided the suspect's name, which allowed investigators to link the two incidents.
The mother told Ynet that she had not anticipated such an attack in Thailand. She said she had not expected such an attack in Thailand, a country she believed was generally welcoming toward Israelis, and that she never thought something like this could happen, believing Thailand to be a safe destination. She noted that the attacker spoke with a French accent.
The assault adds to a documented pattern of incidents involving Israeli tourists in Thailand. In February 2026, three Israelis were attacked at a bar in Koh Samui after they were overheard speaking Hebrew, when French tourists reportedly chased them into a restroom and attempted to rob them. Earlier reports indicated tensions between some local communities and Israeli visitors on islands including Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, with some venues posting policies restricting entry to Israeli nationals.
The mother expressed concern about the psychological aftermath of the assault. She said she now fears the incident will have lasting trauma effects and added that she has learned not to identify herself as Israeli to strangers, noting uncertainty about how people will react to her nationality.
Thai police have not yet released details about charges against the suspect or his background beyond his French citizenship.
