HYDERABAD: Around 800 people from Telangana living in Israel said the situation is peaceful and they are safe amid the prevailing tensions between Israel and Iran. This comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an advisory cautioning Indians against travelling to the two countries until further notice.
The majority of Telangana people working in Israel are from Nizamabad and Jagtial districts. While most of them work in Ramat Gan and other neighbourhoods of Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial and cultural capital, a handful stay in Ashkelon, nearly 60 kilometres from Tel Aviv.
Almost all of them are professional caregivers and earn between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 shekel on a monthly basis (Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.35 lakh).
B Mahesh Goud, president of the Israel Telangana Association (ITA), told TNIE from Tel Aviv: “Everyone of us here is safe and sound. Our day-to-day work is going normally. We all live in a radius of two to three kilometres and keep a regular check on each other’s status.”
The 42-year-old added that life is normal. “All the markets and grocery shops are open as usual,” said Goud, a native of Nizamabad, who has been living in Israel for the last eight years.
At least 6,000 people from the two Telugu states are said to be living in Israel, with Andhraites predominantly belonging to West and East Godavari districts. Prasad Elle (46), who stays in Ashkelon, around 21 km from war-hit Gaza, is gearing up to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti on Monday.
Prasad Elle, from Sircilla, told TNIE that a state of peace is prevailing in the region. “There is no apparent threat so far. The communication lines are also open. I am moving around every day. Local authorities also keep us alerted regularly if there is any disturbance. Back in October 2023, it was a very difficult time when everyday rockets used to fall here as if they were crackers,” said the 46-year-old, who has been residing in Israel for 16 years.
Soma Ravi (48), former president of ITA, said the Indian Embassy in Israel contacted them a day earlier. “They asked us to stay alert and inform people about the advisory released by the Indian government,” he told TNIE.
The MEA has also asked Indians to restrict their movements to a minimum and register themselves with the embassies.