‘Pre-planned racist attack’ on Indian workers in Israel caught on camera – full story | world news

New Delhi: Two Indian workers were assaulted on Thursday in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. The incident has caused concern in both countries. The Israeli police have arrested those suspected of carrying out the attack. The Israeli Embassy in India said the perpetrators have been taken into custody and legal proceedings will follow soon.

Israeli media described the incident as a “deliberate racist attack”. Ashkelon is located about 50 kilometers from Tel Aviv and is situated near the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN released a video of the incident and termed it as a “hate-filled racist attack”. The footage shows at least two individuals being surrounded and attacked by a group. The incident appears to take place in a public park. Several people are seen confronting the victims while others are nearby.

Turkey’s ‘TRT World’ wrote on its website, “The Hebrew caption accompanying the video described the attack as ‘pre-planned’ and said it was motivated by ‘racism and malice’. It stated that the attackers had coordinated the assault in advance through WhatsApp messages and then targeted Indian workers in the area.”

“The broadcaster said the group had conspired beforehand and carried out the assault in broad daylight,” the report further said.

Though the exact date of the assault is unclear, the video was released on February 16.

The incident has drawn political attention in India. The opposition Congress party urged the Modi government to step in. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera asked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on X to immediately confirm the condition of the injured workers and raise the matter with Israeli authorities. He also questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take up the issue during his upcoming visit to Israel.

PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Israel next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Modi will visit Israel “next week” and described his country as “very popular” in India.

The presence of Indian workers in Israel has grown over the past year. In October 2023, Israel suspended work permits for thousands of Palestinian labourers. The move created a shortage in construction and other sectors. Recruitment drives then focused on Indian workers.

Indian labor unions, including the All India Trade Union Congress, have criticized these incidents and raised concerns about safety and alleged lack of transparency in the hiring process.

In 2024, the Indian government advertised for 10,000 construction workers for jobs in Israel across at least two states, including Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Relations between India and Israel have become stronger over the past 30 years. The two countries established formal diplomatic ties in 1992. Since then, they have worked closely in areas such as defence, agriculture, technology and intelligence.

PM Modi first visited Israel in 2017. During his time in office, cooperation between the two governments increased. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often described India as a good friend of Israel.