BANGKOK, Jan 6 (TNA) - Thailand's Labour Ministry is worried about the well-being of about 2,600 Thai workers now employed in the Gaza Strip as fierce fighting between Israeli troops and the militant group Hamas continues without any sign of ending soon, said a senior ministry official Tuesday.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Labour Pornchai Yooprayong said fierce fighting in the Gaza Strip which began on Christmas Eve is continuing.

There are about 2,600 Thai workers employed at 27 sites in the area.

The Ministry's Employment Department has been instructed not to dispatch new batches of Thai workers to Gaza for safety reasons and to request employers to allow the workers to hide in safe places when they hear the sound of sirens, said Mr. Pornchai. So far all Thai workers there are safe, he said.

Seven recruitment firms in Tel Aviv which recruited Thai workers to work in the Gaza Strip met recently, agreeing to coordinate to evacuate Thai workers out of the area or to explain to their employers to let the Thais stop work if the situation deteriorates, he said.

Thai labour officials have successfully found about 150 temporary jobs for Thai workers in Arava area, about 120 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, he added.

Fighting intensified when Israel sent ground forces into the Gaza Strip after several days of air raids against Hamas. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 100 civilians, according to United Nations figures. Nine Israelis have died since the operation began on Dec. 27.