- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The flight has been arranged to facilitate the return of those who were unable to do so because Air India had immediately suspended its flight on October 7 when the fighting began.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE first charter flight to facilitate the return of Indian citizens stranded in Israel will leave Thursday (12) evening from the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, sources said, amid the Middle Eastern country’s raging war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
About 230 Indians living in Israel will be leaving for India on a “first come first serve” basis on the 9 pm flight on Thursday, informed sources told PTI.
The flight has been arranged to facilitate the return of those who were unable to do so because Air India had immediately suspended its flight on the day fighting began last Saturday (7), and its commercial operation remains suspended till now.
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.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 11, 2023
Those who are returning will not be paying any fare and the government is bearing the cost of their return.
Israel has vowed an unprecedented offensive against Hamas ruling Gaza after its fighters broke through the border fence and stormed into the country’s south through air, land and sea on the same day.
EAM @DrSJaishankar chaired a meeting today to review preparations for #OperationAjay. #TeamMEA stands ready to assist our citizens to return home. pic.twitter.com/zK0iTKFjob
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) October 12, 2023
On the sixth day, the Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 189 soldiers, were killed in Israel, a staggering toll unseen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria that lasted weeks.
In Gaza, at least 1,200 people have been killed, according to authorities there.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007.
The Indian embassy has emailed the first lot of registered Indian citizens for the special flight, the mission posted on X.
“Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights”, it said.
The embassy’s tweet followed a message on the same social media platform by Indian minister of external affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday (11), announcing the launch of ‘Operation Ajay’.
“Launching #OperationAjay to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to return. Special charter flights and other arrangements are being put in place”, he wrote.
“Fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad”, the diplomat stressed.
Ben Gurion International Airport is the main international airport of Israel which is situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod.
While Israel’s retaliatory offensive on Gaza continued unabated, there has been a total lull in rocket attacks coming from Gaza.
No rockets have been fired on Israel between 10 pm on Wednesday and 9 am on Thursday, with some analysts saying that Hamas is holding its stockpile for “an eventual ground incursion”.
In efforts to reassure Indian nationals living in Israel, the embassy on Wednesday said that it is monitoring the situation closely and called upon its citizens to remain calm, vigilant and follow security advisories.
“This is to assure you that the embassy is working constantly for your safety and welfare. All of us are going through very difficult times but please do remain calm and vigilant and follow the local security guidelines”, Indian ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla said on Wednesday in a recorded message on the X social media platform.
“We are here to help you, and we thank many of you who have sent so many messages of appreciation to us. We are monitoring the situation closely and please stay tuned for any updates from the embassy. Jai Hind”, Singla added.
The embassy in Tel Aviv was quick to reach out to a caregiver from Kerala who was injured in the rocket shelling in the city of Ashdod on Saturday and has been constantly in touch with her and her family in India. The Indian community has also been looking after her well-being and visiting her at the hospital. Her condition is stable.
The initiative received a lot of appreciation from Indians all over the world. “We thank our fellow Indian citizens in Israel and outside for the many messages of appreciation which you have sent us”, the embassy said in a post. It also reminded Indian nationals in Israel to register with the embassy.
There are about 18,000 Indian nationals living and working in Israel. A big chunk of Indians living in Israel work as caregivers but there are also about a thousand students, several IT professionals and diamond traders.
Meanwhile, the Indian representative office in Ramallah (ROI) is constantly in touch with the four Indians living in Gaza. ROI told PTI that “we are in touch and are trying to help all Indians but the situation on the ground constrains our options”.
(With PTI inputs)
