'Israeli' mother, daughter severely assaulted in Thailand

• Attack reportedly followed dispute over Gaza.
• Both required hospitalization and surgery.
• French suspect arrested after fleeing scene.

An 'Israeli' mother and her daughter were seriously wounded in a violent assault on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, after a man confronted them over 'Israel’s' actions in Gaza upon learning where they were from.

In an interview with Ynet from her hospital bed, the 62-year-old mother -who had arrived in Thailand for a two-week visit with her 23-year-old traveling daughter- described the horror of the attack.

"Out of nowhere, he started beating me viciously and bit my ear," the mother told Ynet. "We have injuries all over our bodies, everything is swollen. We went through what felt like a terror attack. It was horrifying."

Confrontation near waterfall 

The incident occurred on Tuesday after the women parked their motorcycle near the road and walked roughly 100 meters toward a waterfall site while buying a coconut.

A man operating a motorcycle stopped behind them, spoke with a French accent, and asked where they were from.

When the daughter responded that they were from 'Israel', the man began confronting them regarding the conflict in Gaza, telling them, "I don’t like what 'Israel' is doing there."

The mother recalled telling him that they were on vacation and did not wish to discuss the issue or what had been done to them, to which the man replied, "I’m against violence," before ending the conversation.

Moments later, the man called out from above, descended toward them, and launched a relentless physical assault.

The mother was struck in the head and lost consciousness while both women attempted to fight him off.

Her daughter was also beaten while trying to protect her.

The attacker continued hitting the mother until the daughter ran to the road and called out to two French women nearby.

Seeing other people on the road, the attacker fled the scene on his motorcycle.

Emergency medical transfer 

Responding medical teams bandaged the mother’s head on the road before transporting both victims to a hospital on Koh Phangan.

Following a CT scan that revealed head bleeding in the mother, doctors arranged an emergency boat transfer to a hospital on Koh Samui for surgery.

After spending 24 hours in intensive care, both women stabilized.

The daughter underwent surgery on her nose, while the mother had surgery on her ear, with doctors noting she will likely require an additional operation.

"I never thought something like this could happen to me here in Thailand, where people are so friendly toward 'Israelis'," the mother told Ynet. "I am always careful and usually do not say I am from 'Israel'. But here in Thailand, I thought it was safe."

Police arrest

The suspect, who holds a French passport, was ultimately apprehended by chance in a different town after causing a disturbance and attacking police officers.

When officers took a statement from the daughter at the hospital, they recalled the suspect’s name and realized he was the same individual responsible for the waterfall assault.

The mother commended the police for catching the suspect, while expressing deep trauma over the ordeal, stating they would learn not to disclose their 'Israeli' background in the future because "you can never know how someone will react."