First Charter Flight Carrying Indian Citizens Stranded in Israel Arrives in New Delhi

Summary:

• The first charter flight under ‘Operation Ajay’ arrived in New Delhi on Friday morning, repatriating 212 Indian citizens stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war.
• The passengers were chosen on a ‘first come first serve’ basis and included an infant.
• Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar was present at the airport to receive the Indian nationals.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared pictures of the repatriation on social media, stating that “Operation Ajay gets underway.”
• The government launched ‘Operation Ajay’ to bring back stranded citizens from Israel, where fierce fighting with Hamas is ongoing.
• Air India and other airlines suspended all commercial operations to and from Israel as the war began.
• Special chartered flights and Indian Navy ships will be deployed for the repatriation.
• There are approximately 18,000 Indians in Israel, including students, professionals, and traders.
• The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a 24-hour control room in New Delhi to monitor the situation.
• The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its seventh day, with over 2,800 casualties and 423,000 displaced people.
• Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel citing a dispute over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, leading to Israeli airstrikes.
• Israel is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza.

Full Article:

The first charter flight to repatriate Indian citizens stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war arrived in New Delhi on Friday morning. The flight, carrying 212 Indian passengers including an infant, took off on Thursday night from the Ben Gurion airport in Israel under ‘Operation Ajay’. The passengers were chosen on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.

In a video shared by news agency ANI, union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar can be seen present at the airport to receive the Indian nationals.

On Thursday night, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared pictures of the first repatriation of the stranded citizens on X, formerly known as Twitter saying: “Operation Ajay gets underway. 212 citizens onboard the flight are enroute New Delhi.”

The government launched ‘Operation Ajay’ on Wednesday to bring back stranded citizens from Israel ★which is witnessing fierce fighting with the terrorist group Hamas. This came after Air India and other airlines suspended all its commercial operations to and from Israel as the war began on October 7.

“Launching #OperationAjay to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to return. Special charter flights and other arrangements being put in place Fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad,” S Jaishankar had announced on X.

Under this operation, special chartered flights will bring back the Indians, and the Indian Navy ships will also be deployed if the need arises.

Notably, there are around 18,000 Indians in Israel including students, professionals, and traders.

Meanwhile, the ministry of external affairs has set up a 24-hour control room in the national capital to monitor the situation in Israel and Palestine. The phone numbers for the control room are: 1800118797 (toll free), +91-11 23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905 and +919968291988, while the email ID is situationroom@mea.gov.in.

The Indian embassy’s 24-hour emergency helpline can also be accessed on the numbers +972-35226748 and +972-543278392, and the email ID cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in.

The Israel-Hamas war

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its seventh day on Friday and is expected to escalate further. According to the latest reports, over 2,800 people from both sides have been killed so far, while 423,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

The Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday citing a long-running dispute over the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The Israeli military is retaliating for the Hamas attack with near-constant airstrikes.

On Thursday, Israel said that they are preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that political leadership has not yet decided on one.