The affair had been under investigation since December 2025, when police received a report from the foreign worker who claimed he had been employed by the couple for four years.
Israel Police arrested a couple in their 30s in Kiryat Gat under suspicion of being involved in human trafficking, including keeping a foreign worker under “slavery conditions,” the police announced on Wednesday.
The affair had been under investigation since December 2025, when police received a report from the foreign worker who claimed he had been employed by the couple for four years, while being held under harsh conditions and deprived of his basic rights.
During the police’s raid on the suspects, they seized a variety of cell phones, laptops, desktop computers, tablets, documents, checkbooks, and SIM cards. They also found a 3D-printed pistol, along with ammunition.
The couple was brought in for questioning.
(From left) US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Jim Gilmore; Israeli National Trafficking Coordinator Dina Dominitz; and Ambassador Talya Lador-Fresher. (credit: USOSCE)
Trafficking victim receiving support in shelter
“After a comprehensive examination and on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee for the Recognition of Victims, the government coordinator, Attorney Dina Dominitz, recognized the worker as a victim of slavery conditions,” a spokesperson from the Government Coordination Unit for Combating Human Trafficking, Prostitution, and Polygamy said.
“He was referred to the designated shelter for victims of trafficking under the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry, and is receiving all the necessary assistance and relevant rights there, including support in the criminal investigation that was opened by the legal aid at the Justice Ministry.”
“The Social Division at the Justice Ministry notes that this is a serious case in all that relates to the exploitation of the victim and the denial of his freedom to the point of being held in slavery,” the spokesperson continued, “And welcomes the identification and referral of the victim for recognition, which is the result of government training and awareness-raising efforts, and the intensive investigation conducted by the Israel Police as a result.
The spokesperson also stated that over the last two years, 193 victims of human trafficking have been recognized in Israel, used for prostitution, slavery, employment, and other reasons.