Operation Ajay: 212 Indians Arrive In Delhi From War-Torn Israel

As many as 212 Indian nationals from war-torn Israel arrived at the Delhi airport on Friday.

The Indian government, under 'Operation Ajay', airlifted the first batch of Indians who were stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war.

After landing in Delhi, an Indian national who returned from Israel said, "This is the first time that we are facing this situation over there. We are very thankful to the Indian government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing us back. We are hoping for peace as soon as possible so that we can go back to work as earliest as possible..."

Another person thanked the Indian Embassy and said, "They supported us. We registered on the portal and the process was very easy. The operation is excellent. We are very happy to come back to India..." Another Indian national said, "We were in touch with the Indian Government since the second day when all of this started. They were active on WhatsApp groups and in contact with us. They were cooperating with us, providing all the information."

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar welcomed them at the airport with folded hands. He then interacted with them.

Talking about the Modi government's commitment to the safety of Indians stuck in Israel, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "Our government will never leave any Indian behind. Our government, our Prime Minister is determined to protect them, bring them back home safely. We are grateful to EAM Dr S Jaishankar, the team at the External Affairs Ministry, the flight crew of this Air India flight for making this possible, for bringing our children back home safely and soundly and back home to their loved ones..."

Indian Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla said that the Indian Embassy in Israel is working to ensure the well-being of Indian nationals.

"As I said yesterday, the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv has been working continuously to ensure the safety and welfare of all our Indian citizens in Israel. Yesterday, the external affairs minister announced Operation Ajay to help those Indians who wish to return to India. And today, under Operation Ajay, the first flight is going back to India," he said. He added, "It's going to have almost 200 Indian citizens - students, caregivers, and business professionals, and we are trying to ensure that we have a similar flight in the coming days. We will have, one flight tomorrow...I would like to reach out to my fellow Indian citizens here and urge them to remain calm and stay safe by following the local safety advisories and I want to tell them that we're always there with them. We are standing with them."

Hamas launched the operation Al-Aqsa Storm' by firing thousands of rockets into Israel on Saturday. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters infiltrated Israel by land, sea and air.

'Operation Ajay' was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel. Registration of Indians began on Thursday. The Indian embassy in Israel is providing assistance to Indian companies and has set up a helpline for Indian citizens in need of assistance.