Israel is looking to address a major labor shortage, abruptly worsened by the conflict with Hamas, by recruiting tens of thousands of Indians at a time when Palestinians who have long played a crucial role in Israeli construction and other sectors are being barred from the country.
Israeli authorities say they are hoping to see 10,000 to 20,000 Indian migrant workers in the coming months
In October, Israeli construction companies reportedly requested their government in Tel Aviv to allow them to hire up to 100,000 Indian workers to replace Palestinians whose work licenses were suspended after the Gaza offensive began.
Many Indian aspirants for the jobs in Israel said they were unfettered by the war in Gaza, with some workers even supporting Israel in its operation against the Palestinians.
“Given a chance, I am even willing to work for the Israeli forces,” Yash Sharma, an aspirant from Haryana’s Jind region, told Al Jazeera.
Two Western officials said that the Israeli strike on Iran, which was launched in response to Iran's attack on Israel last week, was intended to show Tehran that it easily could evade its air-defense systems,
