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

New Delhi: Two Indian workers were attacked in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Thursday. The incident caused concern in both countries. Israeli police detained people suspected of carrying out the attack. The Israeli Embassy in India said that the perpetrators have been detained and legal proceedings will begin soon.

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

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN released a video of the incident, describing it as a “hateful racist attack”. The footage shows at least two people being surrounded and attacked by a group. The incident appears to have occurred in a public park. Several people are seen confronting the victims while some are nearby.

Türkiye’s ‘TRT World’ wrote on its website: “The Hebrew caption accompanying the video stated that the attack was ‘pre-planned’ and ‘racist and malicious’. It was stated that the attackers coordinated the attack with WhatsApp messages in advance and then targeted Indian workers in the region.”

The report also said, “The publisher said that the group had conspired in advance and carried out the attack in broad daylight.”

Although the exact date of the attack is not clear, the video was published on February 16.

The incident attracted the attention of politicians in India. The opposition Congress party has called on the Modi government to step in. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera asked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on X to immediately verify the condition of the injured workers and convey the matter to the Israeli authorities. He also questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address the issue during his upcoming visit to Israel.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Israel next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 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 increased in the past year. Israel suspended the work permits of thousands of Palestinian workers in October 2023. The move created shortages in construction and other industries. Recruitment campaigns then focused on Indian workers.

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

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

Relations between India and Israel have strengthened over the last 30 years. The two countries established official diplomatic relations in 1992. Since then, they have worked closely in areas such as defence, agriculture, technology and intelligence.

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