 "Israel rescues 10 Indian workers held hostage in West Bank.")
Amid the brewing tensions in West Asia, Israel said that it has reduced 10 Indian workers from a village in the West Bank during an overnight raid. The Jewish nation’s Population and Immigration Authority confirmed the news and said that these Indian workers were held hostage for over a month in the Palestinian region.
The body claimed that Palestinians had lured these workers to the West Bank village of al-Zaayem. They were promised work in the region. However, the moment these workers arrived, the Palestinian group took their passports and even tried to use them to enter Israel. According to The Times of Israel, the workers from India originally came to Israel to work in construction.
They were rescued during an overnight joint operation conducted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) along with the Israeli Justice Ministry. The authorities noted that these workers have now been transferred to safe locations until their employment status is determined.
Indian consulate in Israel releases a statement
The Indian consulate in Israel released a statement on the matter on Thursday and confirmed the news. “Israeli authorities traced 10 missing Indian construction workers to West Bank & have brought them back to Israel,” the Israeli embassy said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“While the matter is still under investigation, the Embassy is in touch with the Israeli authorities & have requested to ensure their safety & well-being @MEAIndia,” the statement further reads. The IDF often identifies the illicit use of passports at the border and returns them to their owners.
It is pertinent to note that around 16,000 Indian workers have come to Israel in the last year as part of an Israeli government effort to fill a void left when tens of thousands of Palestinian construction workers were barred from entering the Jewish nation following the October 7 attack by Hamas.