16,000 Indian construction workers move to Israel to replace barred Palestinians

Around 16,000 Indian construction workers moved to Israel to fill the labour gap left by Palestinian workers barred from entering the country after the Hamas attack in October 2023. The attack escalated into a war between Israel and Hamas, involving other Iran-backed groups. Had the attack not occurred, the construction sites would have been staffed by Arabic-speaking workers instead of those speaking Hindi, Hebrew, and Mandarin. Indian workers have long been employed in Israel in caregiving, diamond trading, and IT sectors. With the conflict escalating, Israel intensified the recruitment of Indian workers for its construction industry. High earnings in Israel, where some workers earn three times their pay back home, have drawn many like Nishad from India.