In the settlement villages of Wayanad, scores of families closely follow the updates on Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal with a sense of dread and relief. At least one member in these families works as a caregiver in Israel. The families have been gripped by tension ever since fighting worsened in West Asia.

According to the figures from an ongoing survey by the Mananthavady Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, over 1,500 people from villages in Wayanad work in Israel. Among the 162 parishes of the diocese, an average of 10 persons work in Israel. There are parishes where more than 20 persons, including men and women, are employed in Israel.

Fr. Jose Kocharakkal, Vicar General of the Mananthavady Diocese, told Onmanorama that migration to Israel has been a major blessing for women from cash-strapped settler Christian families. "With no major professional degrees, these women were once housewives assisting their families in agrarian activities during the golden era of agriculture. A common religious background made migration to Israel a trend in Wayanad's settler farming belts over the years," he added.

The people were lured to Israel following the fall of cash crop prices, massive destruction to pepper farms, and an unfavourable climate that unsettled many farming families from the region. They had been forced to sell their land and move to towns in search of daily-wage jobs.

According to Fr. Kocharakkal, the "Go to Israel " trend gathered momentum as it helped the remaining families to sustain themselves - the wife would go to Israel for work, while the husband stayed back to look after the children and parents. "We also helped them receive state-of-the-art training in our care homes and issued experience certificates to the dedicated job seekers. This is one job that allows ordinary housewives without professional degrees to work and earn a decent salary. A few months of nursing training and experience in attending to the aged and the ill are enough to qualify for the job," he added.

The places here are named 'Israel junction', 'Israel Nagar' and 'Israel Corners'. "Whenever we hear about a bomb explosion or missile attack, we used to call our family members there, but they were always calm," said MM Sunny of Pulppalli, whose daughter works in Israel. "If a missile crossed the borders evading the radar protection, alarm bells would ring and the residents would shift to the cellar bunkers. There are security bunkers in each house. The caregivers are treated as members of the family, and there have even been cases where caregivers received a share of their employer's wealth posthumously," he said.

Akarsha Wayanad, a writer from Pulppalli who returned after eight years as a caregiver in Israel, said safety and financial independence are the two major attractions to women. "I was deeply saddened by the plight of people living there. I am constantly worried about my friends, acquaintances, and neighbours who still work there as caregivers. Though families here are assured of their safety, each report about the war adds to our worries," she said.

Nibitha, another caregiver from Wayanad working in Israel, said the joy of peace is overwhelming on the social networking platforms. Everyone is happy that the clouds of war are gradually clearing. "Except for the initial days of conflict, most of us were not at all worried about our safety. We regularly received warnings before missile attacks, and we moved to bunkers. Over the years, it became routine. But back home, even a short delay in replying to WhatsApp messages would cause panic," she said.

She added that those who had gone on leave before the conflict intensified were worried about losing their jobs. "Challenging all odds, they took risks to return through Egypt by road, as the airspace was blocked. The job here is precious. The care we receive from the Israeli state and families helps our own families back home live comfortably," she said.

Data from NORKA Roots, a Kerala government agency supporting Non-Resident Keralites, shows that there are about 7,000 Keralites in Israel, of whom 70 per cent are caregivers.