In the heart of the Middle East, the lives of thousands of workers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Israel have been disrupted by ongoing conflicts. As missiles streak across the sky and alerts are a constant, these workers, such as Gattu Naveen and Elle Prasad, find themselves in a race against time to seek safety in bunkers.
According to reports, approximately 7,000 individuals from the two Telugu states reside in Israel, with around 2,000 hailing from Telangana. The majority of these workers are employed in construction and caregiving, earning between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.35 lakh per month.
In 2022, a bilateral framework was established that saw more than 20,000 Indians take up construction jobs in Israel, with over 6,700 arriving in 2025 to fill labor gaps following the Gaza war. An additional 18,000-20,000 workers serve as caregivers, catering to an aging Israeli population.
The majority of Telangana natives reside in Ramat Gan and neighborhoods surrounding the capital of Tel Aviv, with a smaller group in Ashkelon. Soma Ravi, a former president of the Israel Telangana Association and a native of Nizamabad who has lived in Ramat Gan for a decade, described this past weekend as unusually tense. A missile landed just a couple of kilometers from his home on Saturday evening.
“Earlier escalations were from groups like Hezbollah and Hamas,” said Ravi. “This time, a powerful country is launching ballistic missiles, so people are more worried and extra careful.” Ravi’s plans to fly to the US for his daughter’s March 15 wedding have been disrupted due to airspace closures resulting from the conflict.
In an attempt to maintain some semblance of normalcy, daily routines have tightened. Supermarkets and pharmacies remain open, while offices, schools, and malls are closed. Outdoor gatherings are capped at 30 people, but most bunkers can accommodate between 50-60 individuals.
