Indian workers in Israel have filed an appeal demanding justice and accountability following the murder of Indian caregiver Rajiv Acharya. According to the Indian news channel NDTV, Acharya was fatally stabbed by an Israeli citizen.
Israeli authorities charged Aviur Zaken, the grandson of an elderly couple who hired Acharya, with attacking him with a sharp object multiple times on July 23. The workers called on the Israeli government to conduct a full investigation into the case, provide compensation to Acharya's family, and protect foreign workers from India from violence and abuse, as reported by NDTV.
Indian media reported that Zaken was charged with premeditated murder under the Israeli Penal Code. On Wednesday, nearly a month after Acharya's death, the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv stated on X that it is 'in close contact with Israeli authorities, who reported that the suspect has been arrested, and that the investigation continues to establish all facts and circumstances of the incident.'
According to NDTV, the community's appeal particularly highlighted the vulnerable position of Indian domestic workers in Israel, who live and work in the homes where they are employed. In May 2023, the Indian government signed an agreement to send over 42,000 Indian workers to Israel, of whom 34,000 were supposed to work in construction and 8,000 in elder care.
This number has increased since the genocide in Gaza by Israel. In November 2023, the Israeli government implemented a mass cancellation of work permits for Palestinians, leading to a sharp labor shortage. In response, the Builders Association of Israel called on the Israeli government to request 50,000 to 90,000 workers from India.
Due to high unemployment and low wages in India, thousands of workers sought opportunities in Israel, aiming to send remittances to their families back home. However, in 2024, several major Indian trade unions representing tens of millions of Indian workers called on the government to stop the flow of Indian workers to Israel to avoid complicity in the Palestinian genocide by Israel.
As of August 2025, there were over 20,000 Indian workers in Israel since the start of the genocide, and NDTV reported that new agreements signed in February 2026 stipulate the arrival of up to 100,000 Indian workers in Israel by 2028. The Indian government has also faced constant pressure from activists after it continued to supply military supplies to Israel throughout the Gaza genocide.