New Delhi [India], March 7 : In a significant development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that 10 Indian workers were found in the West Bank and have been brought back to Israel.
In a weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Israeli government authorities discovered the Indian workers in the construction sector in the West Bank. Following their discovery, the Israeli authorities facilitated their return to Israel.
Jaiswal assured that the matter is currently under investigation, and the Indian Embassy is in close touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the workers' well-being.
"10 Indian workers in the construction sector were found in the West Bank. Israeli government authorities brought them back to Israel. The matter is being investigated, and the embassy is in touch with Israeli authorities. They are in Israel and being looked after," said Jaiswal.
Earlier, according to the Israeli authorities, Palestinians had lured Indian workers to the al-Zaayem village of the West Bank with promises to provide work and then seized their passports and attempted to use them to enter Israel.
The Times of Israel reported earlier that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Justice Ministry led an overnight operation to rescue workers who had come to Israel to work in construction. The workers have been taken to a safe location until their employment status is determined.
The IDF detected the illicit use of the passports and later returned them to their owners. As per the report, some 16,000 labourers have arrived in Israel from India in 2024 as part of an Israeli government initiative to fill a void after tens of thousands of Palestinian construction workers were banned from entering Israel after Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023.
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