Jerusalem, Oct 14: In the wake of the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the second batch of 235 Indian nationals, which included two infants, has been safely evacuated from Israel. This follows the evacuation of 212 Indians on the previous day as part of ‘Operation Ajay,’ which was launched by India to assist those who wished to return home after Hamas militants from Gaza attacked Israeli towns on October 7, leading to increased tensions in the region.
Sources have reported that the second batch of Indian nationals departed from Israel on Friday and landed safely. The evacuation of Indian nationals is expected to continue in the coming days, with emails being sent by the Indian Embassy to registered citizens for subsequent flights.
Suryakant Tiwari, a PhD student at Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, expressed gratitude to the Indian government for ‘Operation Ajay’ and its efforts to evacuate Indian citizens from the war-affected region.
The first charter flight under this operation left Ben Gurion Airport late Thursday evening, carrying 211 adults and an infant who were residing in the conflict-affected area. The passengers were selected on a “first-come, first-served” basis following a registration drive launched by the Indian embassy. The Indian government is covering the cost of their return.
Approximately 18,000 Indian nationals are living and working in Israel, including caregivers, students, IT professionals, and diamond traders. The evacuation was prompted by a major attack on Israeli security by Hamas militants, which resulted in more than 1,300 casualties in Israel and over 1,530 casualties in Gaza due to Israeli counter-airstrikes, including an estimated 1,500 Hamas militants killed inside Israel.
