Indian workers see Israel jobs as ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ despite Gaza war dangers

Israel is recruiting at least 40,000 Indian workers to plug the acute labour shortage in its construction industry as a result of the Gaza war

Many hope working in Israel will enable them to provide for their families, and say they are confident the government will keep its citizens safe

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Birender Singh with his wife and four children. Singh is one of many Indian workers who have signed up to work in Israel. Photo: Junaid Kathju

Published: 12:30pm, 9 Jan 2024Updated: 8:39pm, 9 Jan 2024

Living in a one-room shanty on the top floor of an old building with his wife and four children in Mathura, a town in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Birendar Singh dreams of having his own house one day.

Singh is one of many in India who have signed up to work in Israel in search of better pay. As he prepared for his long journey, he said he was grappling with a mix of hope and apprehension.

“I am not afraid of going to Israel, but I get anxious thinking about my family if anything untoward happens to me,” said Singh, 43, a trained mechanic.

Palestinians inspect the remains of a building demolished by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last month. Photo: AFP

As the Gaza war rages on, the Israeli government has started the process of recruiting at least 40,000 Indian workers to plug the acute labour shortage faced by its construction industry after it cancelled the work permits of all Palestinians following the October 7 attack by Hamas.

According to reports, there were about 80,000 Palestinian workers in Israel’s construction industry that came from the West Bank, and another 17,000 from the Gaza Strip. But after October 7, all lost their right to work.

Singh said he had rushed to submit his documents as soon as he heard about the opportunity, seeing it as his only way out of poverty and to send his children to school.

“I hardly manage to feed my family. How will I take care of the education expenses of my children and build a house for them?” he asked.