NEW DELHI: Earlier this year there was talk of Israel seeking construction workers from India to replace the Palestinian workers. On Tuesday, a batch of 60 Indian construction workers left for Israel.
"Today we had a farewell event from the first batch of 60 Indian construction workers under the government to government (G2G) agreement. This is an outcome of the hard work of many including National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). I am sure that the workers will become `ambassadors’ of the public-private partnership between Israel and India,’’ said Israel’s Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon.
However, it may be recalled that an Indian working in an orchard in Israel got killed on March 4th by a missile attack. The following day, India issued an advisory for its citizens to move away from conflict areas.
"An Indian national was killed and two injured after an anti-tank missile allegedly fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon struck an orchard in northern Israel on March 4th in a village called Margaliot," the Israeli Embassy had said.
Meanwhile, there are close to 18000 Indian workers in Israel primarily working as caregivers. Even after the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Gaze on October 7th, 2023, only a few returned to India (mostly students).
Since the conflict is ongoing there is a fear of a possible casuality as a result of which the MEA had earlier issued an advisory. The government hasn’t commented on the latest news of 60 Indian workers heading for Israel.