As India continues evacuation efforts in Israel, 235 Indians arrived in New Delhi on the second special under Operation Ajay on Saturday morning. The second batch of Indians reached home a day after 212 Indians were flown out of the war-torn country.
According to reports, two infants were also onboard the second flight. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shared pictures of the second repatriation of the stranded citizens on X: “#OperationAjay Flight #2 carrying 235 Indian nationals takes off from Tel Aviv.”
The government launched Operation Ajay on October 7 to bring back Indian citizens from Israel. The first flight took off from Israel's Ben Gurion airport on Thursday evening and landed in New Delhi on Friday morning. According to reports, the Indian Embassy registered the names of all citizens who wished to return from Israel and passengers for the chartered flight were selected on a 'first-come-first serve basis'.
The evacuation efforts were necessitated when Israel declared a 'state of war' after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack across its borders, killing thousands and taking over 150 people hostage. The strife has escalated, with Israel setting a 24-hour deadline before a likely full-scale incursion in Gaza.
An estimated 18,000 Indian citizens live and work in Israel in multiple sectors including caregiving and IT support. A 24-hour control room is monitoring the crisis in Israel and Palestine. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Israel's Consul General in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani, said there is no information of Indian nationals killed in the ongoing violence.
Bollywood actress Nushrat Bharucha, who was stranded in Israel, also reached back home safely earlier this week.