India has sent 20,000 workers to Israel to replace Palestinians since Gaza war began

Middle East Eye

2 days ago

More than 20,000 Indian workers have moved to Israel to replace Palestinian workers since the war on Gaza began, the Indian government has revealed.
Responding to a question posed by a lawmaker in parliament last week, Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that between November 2023 and July 2025, at least 20,000 workers had made their way to Israel.
Singh noted that 6,730 construction workers and 44 caregivers had arrived under the bilateral framework agreement signed between the two countries in November 2023.
Additionally, 7,000 others in the caregiving sector and 6,400 construction workers arrived through what he described as "private channels".
The disclosure last Thursday is the most comprehensive and detailed account of the transfer of Indian workers to Israel and underscores how New Delhi continues to play a pivotal role in helping Israel sustain its economy, even as it faces growing calls for isolation in the international arena over its continued war in Gaza.
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Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, including more than 18,430 children and has been recognised by several countries, as well as leading rights groups and experts, as an act of genocide.
Hundreds of thousands of others have been injured, and the entire population of Gaza is now facing famine as Israel continues to impose conditions leading to starvation across the besieged territory.
Labour shortage in Israel
In Israel, the war effort has battered the country's economy. The cancellation of the work permits of more than 70,000 Palestinians has also led to a labour shortage across several sectors.
The construction sector, in particular, was quickly brought to a standstill with labour shortages triggering higher costs.
Reacting to the labour shortage, the Israeli Builders Association urged its government in November 2023 to recruit workers from India.
'In the past, Israel had depended on Palestinian and migrant workers from other nations, but the political situation has left a big vacuum'
- Dynamic Staffing Services
In the intervening months, thousands of Indian construction workers stood in long queues outside recruitment centres across various states around the country, desperately hoping to get a job.
The desperate scenes at recruitment sites, economists said, revealed India's economic growth as a mirage for the country's poor.
Despite being among the fastest-growing economies on the planet, a 2024 study from the World Inequality Lab concluded that income inequality in India was now among the highest in the world, often culminating in a shortage of full-time employment.
The effort to hire Indian workers to replace Palestinian labour during Israel's bombardment of Gaza led the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) to call on workers to reject the recruitment drive.
"We call upon all workers to reject such 'suicidal projects' that would befall immense hardship and risk to their life!" the union said.
According to Dynamic Staffing Services, an Indian recruitment agency that claims to have brought thousands of construction workers to Israel, workers were drawn by wages that were up to three times the amount they would earn in India.
It also described India's role in Israel's reconstruction as "crucial".
"In the past, Israel had depended on Palestinian and migrant workers from other nations, but the political situation has left a big vacuum," the agency said in a statement in February.
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"As a result of this urgent requirement, Israel has sought help from India, and this relationship is steadily forming the basis of the nation's reconstruction process," the agency added.
The Indian government said around 220 Indian workers who travelled to Israel over the past two years via private channels returned home "primarily due to skill mismatch and language barriers".
One agricultural worker was killed during the Israel-Lebanon conflict in March 2024, the government said.
It said the worker was killed in an attack from Lebanon in March 2024.
"Three Indian nationals were injured, one in rocket fire from Gaza on 7 October 2023 and two more in an attack from Lebanon in March 2024," the government said.
Over the years, thousands of Indians have travelled to Israel to work as caregivers, diamond traders and IT professionals.
In 2022, Indians made up the highest share of foreign students in Israel.