Sri Lanka is moving to send 10,000 workers to Israel over the course of 2026, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, has announced, deepening Colombo's labour ties with Israel. Around 8,000 Sri Lankans are already working in Israel. The recruitment has drawn sustained criticism within Sri Lanka. Two Sri Lankan caregivers were killed in the 7 October 2023 attacks, and Sri Lankan workers have since died during the war, yet the Bureau of Foreign Employment has repeatedly downplayed the risks while raising quotas and easing application limits. Colombo's economic and security cooperation has grown in recent years, from the opening of a Sri Lankan consulate in Haifa in 2024 to a 50 million US dollar deal to refurbish Israeli-built Kfir fighter jets.