New Delhi:

India on Thursday said it has urged Israel to ensure the safety of the Indian construction workers who have gone to the country this week under the framework of a bilateral mobility agreement.

Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon had said on Tuesday that the first batch of over 60 Indian construction workers has left for Israel.

“As you are aware, these (first batch) workers have gone to Israel as part of a mobility agreement that we have signed with the country,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

“This agreement predates the conflict. We are conscious of their safety. We have urged the Israeli authorities to ensure their safety and well-being,” he said.

Mr Jaiswal said around 18,000 Indian caregivers are currently employed in Israel and the Indian embassy in that country is in touch with them.

Following the Israel-Hamas conflict, there were media reports that said the Israeli construction industry is looking at recruiting 100,000 Indian workers to replace the 90,000 Palestinians.

Last month, India said it is focusing on ensuring the safety and security of all its citizens in Israel in the wake of the death of an Indian in that country in a missile attack reportedly launched by Hezbollah.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The first batch of over 60 Indian construction workers is going to Israel, Israeli envoy to India Naor Gilon said on Tuesday.

In a post on X, he hoped that the workers would become ‘ambassadors’ of the great people-to-people relations between the two countries.

He said the workers are going to Israel under the framework of a government-to-government agreement and complimented India’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for the initiative.

“Today we had a farewell event from the first batch of 60+ Indian construction workers going to Israel under the G2G agreement. This is an outcome of hard work of many, including @NSDCINDIA,” Gilon said.

Today we had a farewell event from the first batch of 60+ Indian construction workers going to Israel under the G2G agreement.
This is an outcome of hard work of many, including @NSDCINDIA.
I’m sure that the workers become ‘ambassadors’ of the great P2P relations between . pic.twitter.com/S94OQz4BTG

— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) April 2, 2024

“I’m sure that the workers become ‘ambassadors’ of the great P2P relations between India and Israel,” he said.

There is no official announcement yet on firming up any government-to-government agreement on employment of Indian workers in Israel.

Following the Israel-Hamas conflict, there were media reports that said the Israeli construction industry is looking at recruiting 100,000 Indian workers to replace the 90,000 Palestinians. Last month, India said it is focusing on ensuring the safety and security of all its citizens in Israel in the wake of the death of an Indian in that country in a missile attack reportedly launched by Hezbollah.

“We have over 18,000 caregivers and other professionals in Israel. Their safety and security is of prime concern for us,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on March 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)