On Thursday, the Israeli authorities rescued ten missing Indian construction workers from the West Bank, where they had been captured for a month after being stripped of their passports. According to local media, the rescue operation was carried out overnight by the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), and the Justice Ministry.
The Indian Embassy in Israel confirmed their recovery and stated, “While the matter is still under investigation, the Embassy is in touch with the Israeli authorities & have requested to ensure their safety & well-being.”
According to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, the workers were called to a West Bank village named al-Zaayem by Palestinians under the false promise of employment. Later, their passports were confiscated and allegedly used in an attempt to cross into Israel illegally.
Later, the Indian passports were returned to their legitimate owners when the IDF discovered that they were being used fraudulently. According to Ynetnews, the passports were used by Palestinians to get beyond Israeli checkpoints. The workers were eventually rescued as Israeli authorities apprehended a few individuals at a checkpoint.
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