India hits 'pause' on sending workers to Israel after Iran attack: Report

India has decided to hit the pause button on sending a second batch of construction workers to Israel following the April 13 attack by Iran on the country till the situation gets normal, according to a report in The Indian Express.

On April 2, India sent the first batch of 65 people to Israel as part of an agreement between the two nations for 1,500 Indian citizens to be flown to Israel, who will be employed as construction workers. More than 18,000 Indians already work in Israel as caregivers and agricultural workers.

Israel's ambassador to India, Naor Gilon in an interview with ANI, emphasised that these workers 'will be as safe as the Israeli population' since his country treats Indian workers as part of the Israeli population.

Addressing concerns about the safety and security of the Indian workers, Gilon underlined that Israel is doing its maximum to protect everyone in Israel and that the workers are no different from other Israeli citizens.

"The workers are no different than other Israelis. As you saw last night, there was a huge effort by Israel, and we were able to protect our civilians, which we will do in the future. Since we treat Indian workers as part of the Israeli population, they will be as safe as the Israeli population. We are doing maximum to protect everyone in Israel", Gilon said on April 14.

Earlier this month, Gilon said that the first batch of over 60 Indian construction workers is going to Israel and he hoped that the workers would become 'ambassadors' of the great people-to-people relations between the two countries.

On April 14, the Indian embassy in Israel issued an advisory asking its citizens to stay calm and adhere to safety protocols. On April 12, New Delhi had advised Indians to not travel to Iran and Israel till further notice, “in view of the prevailing situation in the region”.

“All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves,” the MEA advisory said. It added: “They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum."

Workers to Israel

According to reports, around 15,000 more workers will be sought by Israel. The 1,500 workers already selected to be sent to the country were recruited from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in January, the report said.

Israel has said that these workers will work on residential projects in safe zones.

It was reported that Indian workers would be hired to replace the Palestinians and Arab whose work permits were cancelled following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

In March, a youth from Kerala who was working on a farm in Northern Israel was killed in a missile attack launched by the militant group Hezbollah near the Lebanon border.