New Delhi, March 7 (HS): The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed the finding of 10 Indian workers in the West Bank and confirmed that they have been brought to Israel.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing here today that Israeli government officials have found these Indian workers working in the construction sector in the West Bank and helped bring them back to Israel. Jaiswal said that the matter is currently being investigated and the Indian Embassy is in touch with Israeli officials to ensure their well-being.

Earlier, Israeli officials were quoted as saying that Israel has rescued 10 Indian workers who were held hostage from the West Bank. These Indian workers were rescued from a village in the West Bank, where they were held hostage for about a month after their passports were snatched.

According to a news in the Times of Israel, these workers were rescued by the Population and Immigration Authority in a night operation conducted in collaboration with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Ministry of Justice. All the workers have been taken to a safe place.

According to media reports, Palestinians took all of them to Al-Jayem village by promising to give them work and then took away their passports and held them hostage. Palestinians tried to enter Israel using the passports of Indian citizens. When the Israeli Defense Forces stopped these suspects at a border checkpoint and questioned them, they got a hint that the Indian workers were being held hostage. It is said that in the last one year, a large number of Indian workers have reached Israel to work in the construction industry.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar