Approximately 200 Indian citizens who found themselves stranded in war-torn Israel have successfully returned to India through the inaugural flight of Operation Ajay, which landed in Delhi on October 13. This mission, initiated by the Indian government, aimed to facilitate the repatriation of its citizens as the situation in Israel escalated due to weekend attacks by the militant group Hamas.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar extended a warm welcome to the returning passengers upon their arrival at the airport. The Ministry of External Affairs also shared the news, stating, “Welcome to the homeland! 1st #OperationAjay flight carrying 212 citizens touches down in New Delhi.”
Reports have indicated that the October 7 attack by Hamas, followed by Israel’s counter-attack in the Gaza strip, has resulted in over 2600 casualties in the Middle East region. Arindam Bagchi, Minister of External Affairs, mentioned that approximately 18,000 Indians reside in Israel, with a small number of them in Gaza.
Speaking to the media, Bagchi provided updates on a nurse from Kerala who was working in Israel and had been injured during the Hamas attack. He conveyed that the nurse was in the hospital and her condition was improving. Bagchi also noted that the nurse’s family had been in contact with the Ministry and assured that there were no Indian casualties in the incident.
Additionally, Bagchi urged all Indians in Israel to register with the embassy and follow the advisory provided by the embassy. When questioned about whether the Indian government would offer assistance to Israel, he emphasized that their current focus was on repatriating Indians from Israel.
