Operation Ajay Rescues Stranded Indians from Israel Amid Ongoing War

Operation Ajay Rescues Stranded Indians from Israel Amid Ongoing War

VoM News Desk | October 13, 2023 | 06:45 AM IST | Breaking News, Israel | Follow on Google News

Operation Ajay Rescues Stranded Indians from Israel Amid Ongoing War

Operation Ajay Rescues Stranded Indians from Israel Amid Ongoing War

In a remarkable humanitarian effort, ‘Operation Ajay’ successfully carried out the first flight, bringing 212 Indian nationals back to New Delhi from Israel. These individuals had been stranded in Israel due to the ongoing conflict, which prevented them from returning earlier as Air India had suspended its flights on the day the fighting commenced on October 7. The commercial operations of the airline remain halted to this day. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was present at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital to receive those who had been rescued.

Government Covers Flight Costs

The Indian government is shouldering the cost of the special flight to repatriate its citizens. At Tel Aviv, there was a long queue of Indians, including students, eagerly awaiting their turn to board the flight organized under ‘Operation Ajay.’ The timely and coordinated efforts of the Indian embassy in Israel helped reassure the stranded individuals.

Shubham Kumar, an Indian student in Israel, expressed his gratitude, saying, “We are thankful to India… Most of the students were a little bit panicked. Suddenly we saw some notification and the links for every Indian citizen through the embassy of India, which boosted our morale. We felt like the embassy of India is connected with us, which was a kind of relief to us. And then we got all the arrangements.”

Conflict in Israel

Israel initiated an unprecedented offensive against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas fighters breached the border fence and infiltrated the country’s south through air, land, and sea on October 7. After six days of intense fighting, the Israeli military reported a significant loss of life, with over 1,300 people, including 222 soldiers, losing their lives. This marked the highest death toll since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria.

In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, at least 1,417 people, including women and children, were reported to have been killed. The Indian embassy initiated the evacuation process by emailing the first group of registered Indian citizens for the special flight, with plans for subsequent flights to follow.

VoM News Desk

VoM News is an online web portal in jammu Kashmir offers regional, National & global news.