Israeli authorities rescued ten Indian workers from a village in the West Bank, where they were held for over a month, the Times of Israel reported citing the Population and Immigration Authority.

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According to the local media reports, the Indians were deceived by Palestinians with promises of work in the West Bank village of al-Zaayem. 

Upon arrival, their passports were confiscated, and the Palestinians attempted to use the stolen documents to cross into Israel, said the authorities.

The ten workers had come to Israel to work in construction.

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They were rescued in an overnight operation helmed by the authority, along with the IDF and the Justice Ministry. 

The rescued workers have been relocated to a secure facility, where they will remain until their immigration and employment status is determined.

The Israeli Defence Forces had identified the illicit use of the confiscated passports and later returned them to their original owners.

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In 2024, around 16,000 laborers migrated to Israel from India as part of an Israeli government effort aimed at addressing the shortage of construction workers caused by a ban on Palestinian labourers following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. 

This move is in line with the agreement signed between Israel and India in May 2023, allowing 42,000 Indian workers to enter Israel, primarily in the construction and nursing sectors.

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had then put out a post on X after meeting his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen stating that both ministers had a productive and wide-ranging discussions.

The ministers had discussed ways to strengthen Indo-Israel ties by "adding direct flights, continuing cooperation in agriculture and water management, and expanding cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber defence".

"The ministers also signed agreements to allow the arrival of 42,000 Indian workers in the fields of construction and nursing," it said. 

(With inputs from agencies)