Govt says Op Ajay will continue as 235 more citizens return from Israel

As the second flight carrying 235 Indian nationals from Tel Aviv reached Delhi airport under 'Operation Ajay' on Saturday, the returning Indian citizens expressed their gratitude and thanked the Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ministry of external affairs.

As the flight landed in New Delhi, the returning citizens unanimously raised slogans of 'Vande Mantram' to celebrate their return home.

One of the Indian citizens who was stuck in Tel Aviv, Israel shared his delight as the Indian government brought back Indian citizens under Operation Ajay.

"This is very nice and wonderful. We are very happy for this initiative. Many thanks to the Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar, the government of India," he said.

Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who welcomed the Indian citizens at the Delhi airport, told ANI that the Operation Ajay will continue, noting that this is the second phase and they are trying to facilitate those who are willing to come back to India.

"We will continue (the Operation Ajay). There are about 18,000 Indian citizens there. This is the second phase, and we are trying to facilitate those who are willing to come back, so we are helping them," he stressed.

He further told ANI that in the second phase, 235 passengers were repatriated from Israel, including infants.

"We are repatriating about 235 passengers from Israel, mostly they are students, about 135 are students, out of these two citizens are infant...," he added.

Another Indian citizen who came back from Israel thanked the Indian government for the evacuation and noted that the students over there were panicking and feared whether they would be able to come back or not.

"This is a good initiative. I thank the government, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the external affairs minister and our embassy in Israel.... Many students were panicking and feared if they would come back or not," he added.

Various state governments had sent their representatives to the Delhi airport to facilitate the movement of citizens from Delhi to their states.

As many as 447 Indian nationals, who were stranded amid the raging Israel-Hamas war have been brought back to India under 'Operation Ajay'.

"Second flight carrying 235 Indian nationals takes off from Israel's Tel Aviv," posted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on X, on Friday-Saturday intervening night.

The passengers were mainly those who were staying and working in Israel. They applauded the government of India for the initiative and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian embassy in Israel is providing assistance to Indian companies and has set up a helpline for Indian citizens in need of assistance.

The MEA has set up a 24-hour control room in view of the escalating conflict. The control room will help monitor the situation and provide information and assistance.