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Kav LaOved

A married couple from Thailand, known as Qwon, left, and Tay, participate in the Shavuot celebration in Shavei Zion, Western Galilee, where they work in the avocado groves, on May 21, 2026. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)
July 11, 2026, 9:35 am
Braving war losses and tough conditions, Thai workers stay rooted in Israeli agriculture
51 foreign laborers from Thailand have been killed by terror groups since 2023, and 31 were among the Oct. 7 hostages, but that hasn’t caused them to flee Israel’s fields and groves
By Diana Bletter
A foreign worker drives a tractor near Shtula in northern Israel, next to the security wall on the border with southern Lebanon, January 8, 2026. (Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
March 17, 2026, 1:49 pm
For Israel’s most vulnerable workers, safety often comes second when missiles fly
Deaths of construction workers and a caregiver in Iranian attacks highlight dangers faced by laborers who feel forced to choose between shelter and livelihood
By Stav Levaton
Magen David Adom paramedics arrive to the site of a scaffolding collapse in Tel Aviv which killed one construction worker on August 26, 2025. (Magen David Adom)
August 26, 2025, 2:29 pm
Construction worker killed as scaffolding collapses at Tel Aviv building site
Rescuers need three hours to reach victim buried under four stories of trusses; site manager detained for questioning
By Charlie Summers
A view of a crane that collapsed in the sea near Ashkelon, March 14, 2023, killing Israel Electric Corporation employee Nir Dekel, 54. (Flash90)
August 8, 2024, 7:15 pm
NGO calls for legislation to protect outdoor laborers from effects of climate change
The Workers’ Hotline fears rising temperatures, extreme weather events, will compound risks already faced in farming, sanitation, building, gardening, infrastructure work
By Sue Surkes
A caregiver walks with an elderly woman on Jaffa Street in downtown Jerusalem on July 2, 2023. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
July 4, 2024, 11:27 am
Right-wing MKs seek to eliminate pension payments to foreign caregivers
Bill exempting elderly, sick, disabled from making pension contributions for their aides passes preliminary reading; workers’ hotline warns it may keep good carers away from Israel
By Sue Surkes
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks during a press conference at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on July 5, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 9, 2023, 7:07 pm
Amid legal battle with caregiver, Ben Gvir sought to cut payments to foreign workers
As an opposition lawmaker, Otzma Yehudit chief put forth bill that could have released him from hefty payments that court ruled he must pay to late father’s Sri Lankan caregiver
By ToI Staff
Head of the Otzma Yehudit party National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, June 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
July 2, 2023, 6:58 pm
Ben Gvir, brother ordered to pay foreign caregiver NIS 100,000 in unpaid benefits
According to Haaretz, far-right politician made Sri Lankan worker sign agreement to forgo compensation after he was terminated; court rules deal not binding
By ToI Staff
Abdullah Abu Jaba, a Palestinian laborer from the Gaza Strip who was killed by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket, May 13, 2023. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
May 14, 2023, 12:16 pm
Gaza rocket killed Palestinian Abdullah Abu Jaba, also seriously injured his brother
Death of father of 6 at Israeli construction site near border without functioning bomb shelter highlights urgency of providing solutions for foreign workers, says aid group
By ToI Staff
Palestinian workers enter Israel through the Meitar checkpoint near Hebron in the West Bank, May 5, 2020. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)
November 14, 2020, 9:57 pm
To protect rights, Palestinian workers to get Israel permits untied to employers
Reform of current system, which has led to illegal trade in permits, to take effect in December; the policy change will only apply to the construction sector, where most work
By ToI Staff and Aaron Boxerman
Palestinian workers from the West Bank city of Hebron carry personal belongings as they arrive at the Tarqumiya checkpoint to cross into Israel on March 18, 2020. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)
June 3, 2020, 1:35 am
High Court rejects petition to compensate Palestinian workers hit by crisis
Judges make unanimous decision in labor case on Palestinian workers who lost wages due to pandemic, lockdown; Palestinians working in Israel are not covered by national insurance
By Aaron Boxerman
The site of a crane collapse in Tel Aviv on October 29, 2019. (video screenshot)
October 29, 2019, 6:51 pm
Worker killed, 2 others hurt in building accidents; crane collapses in Tel Aviv
Death is 39th construction-related fatality in 2019; no injuries as crane falls, though man says he narrowly escaped being hit
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: A Magen David Adom ambulance. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
October 1, 2019, 9:36 pm
Construction worker killed at Ashkelon building site, in 35th case this year
Police say accident that killed 22-year-old Ali Darawsha under investigation, but advocacy group casts doubt on commitment to stem plague of fatal work accidents
By ToI Staff
A construction site in Hod Hasharon where a construction worker was killed on August 4, 2019. (Israel Police)
August 4, 2019, 5:16 pm
Construction worker, 40, killed in Hod Hasharon
Incident brings to 51 total number of worksite accident deaths in 2019 — 29 of them in construction sites
By ToI Staff
Magen David Adom ambulances at Ben Gurion airport as an El Al plane made an emergency landing, April 21, 2015. (MDA spokesperson/MDA operations)
June 23, 2019, 12:56 pm
1 dead, 1 seriously injured in warehouse accident at Ben Gurion Airport
Two men crushed by piece of heavy machinery; police and Labor Ministry representatives on scene to collect eyewitness accounts
By ToI Staff
African migrants take part in a protest in Tel Aviv on June 10, 2017,against the 'Deposit Law,' which requires them to deposit 20% of their salary in a fund which they can only take back after they leave the country. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
June 21, 2019, 2:37 pm
State Dept. urges Israel to repeal law it says increases migrants’ vulnerability
2017 Deposit Law, which withholds 20% of paychecks until workers leave the country, has made asylum seekers more susceptible to trafficking and pushed some to prostitution
By ToI Staff
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