Jerusalem/New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday spoke with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in international waters and prevention of disruption in global economy and trade, as well as the economies of the two countries.

In a statement, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said that Netanyahu spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

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"The two leaders discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, which is threatened by the aggression of the Houthis, instigated by Iran, and the global interest in preventing attacks on the global economy and trade, as well as the Indian and Israeli economies," the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi noted that "freedom of navigation is an essential global necessity that must be ensured," it said.

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"Had a productive exchange of views with PM @netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic," Modi said in a post on X.

Modi said he also highlighted India's consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace and stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected people.

Yemen's Houthis have targeted Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in the wake of Israel's war with Hamas. In the past few days, some of the world's largest container shipping companies have stopped or rerouted movements through the Red Sea.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.

The two leaders also discussed advancing the arrival of workers from India to the State of Israel, the Israeli PMO statement said.

Israel urgently needs workers to continue with construction projects and the contractors have made a strong plea with the government to bring in hundreds of thousands of people from abroad to meet the needs.

Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat had discussed the possibility of bringing workers from India to fill the need in Israel's infrastructure industry during his India visit in April this year.

The largest group of about 80,000 workers in the construction industry come from the Palestinian Authority. Another group of about 7,000 come from China and some 6,000 from Eastern Europe. The ongoing war has created a shortage of workers.

There are about 18,000 Indians working in Israel, mostly as caregivers.

Netanyahu is said to have also thanked Modi for "India's support of Israel's just war to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization," the Israeli PMO statement said.

Prime Minister Modi had condemned the brutal attacks of October 7.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)