New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): A flight carrying the first batch of Indians, who were stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war, landed in New Delhi under ‘Operation Ajay‘ on Friday morning.
As many as 212 Indian nationals from Israel have arrived at the Delhi airport. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was present at the airport to welcome them.
With folded hands, Chandrasekhar greeted the returning Indians. He then interacted with the students.
The union minister reassured the passengers, saying India‘s commitment to the safety of every Indian is unwavering. Prime Minister Modi is determined to protect them, he added.
“Our government will never leave any Indian behind. Our government, our Prime Minister is determined to protect them and bring them back home safely. We are grateful to EAM Dr S Jaishankar, the team at the External Affairs Ministry, the flight crew of this Air India flight for making this possible, for bringing our children back home safely and soundly and back home to their loved ones,” Chandrasekhar said.
An Indian national who returned from Israel told ANI, “This is the first time that we are facing this situation over there. We are very thankful to the Indian government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing us back. We are hoping for peace as soon as possible so that we can go back to work as earliest as possible…”
The first batch of Indian passengers boarded the flight from Tel Aviv to India under Operation Ajay on Thursday. On the occasion, Indian Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla said that the Indian Embassy in Israel is working to ensure the well-being of Indian nationals in war-torn Israel and informed that under “Operation Ajay” the embassy will help Indians who want to return to India.
“As I said yesterday, the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv has been working continuously to ensure the safety and welfare of all our Indian citizens in Israel. Yesterday, the external affairs minister announced Operation Ajay to help those Indians who wish to return to India. And today, under Operation Ajay, the first flight is going back to India,” he said.
He added, “It’s going to have almost 200 Indian citizens – students, caregivers, and business professionals, and we are trying to ensure that we have a similar flight in the coming days. We will have, one flight tomorrow…I would like to reach out to my fellow Indian citizens here and urge them to remain calm and stay safe by following the local safety advisories and I want to tell them that we’re always there with them. We are standing with them.”
In an exclusive interview with ANI, an Indian citizen returning back to India in the first flight from Tel Aviv thanked the Indian government for assisting in the tough times and asserted that they have got a lot of help through “Operation Ajay“.
Earlier on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “As announced by EAM yesterday, Operation Ajay has been launched to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to come back. The first chartered flight will be reaching Tel Aviv later tonight to pick up the Indian citizens and is likely to return to India tomorrow morning,” the external affairs ministry spokesperson said while addressing a media briefing here today.”We are keeping a close watch on the situation in Israel.”
The MEA spokesperson also said that there were no Indian casualties so far.”We haven’t heard of any casualty so far,” he said.”Around 18,000 Indians are in Israel. There is conflict going on and it is a matter of concern. Indians advised to follow advisories issued by our mission,” Bagchi said. “Operation Ajay” was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel. Registration of Indians began on Thursday.
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 had 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. Earlier, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired a meeting to review preparations for “Operation Ajay“. (ANI)
“Very thankful to government for bringing us back,” say Indians on first flight from Israel under Operation Ajay
New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): The first charter flight carrying the first batch of Indian citizens stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war with terrorist group Hamas arrived in New Delhi on Friday morning under Operation Ajay. Those who were being repatriated from Israel thanked Indian government for bringing them back.
Speaking to ANI one of the passengers who landed at the Indira Gandhi International today said, “This is the first time that we are facing such a situation over there. We are very thankful to the Indian government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing us back. We are hoping for peace as soon as possible so that we can go back to work as earliest as possible…”
Another Indian woman, an agricultural researcher who along with her husband was doing her postdoctorate studies in Israel who was on the flight which took off from Ben Gurion airport in Israel on October 12.
The woman was carrying in her arms her 5-month-old son, who was born in Israel, when she landed in the national capital and there was visible relief on her face. “We live in southern part like the city with Russia. It’s safe. But we decided because of him (her son) we decided to come back to India.
She described the day the Hamas attack took place and the ensuing chaos that followed. She said that there was a siren that they heard early October 7 morning when Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border and attacked Israel.
“On the first day actually, we were sleeping and at around 6:30, there was a siren. For two years we had been there we had not experienced that much of chaos. And with my son it is hard. But we managed we ran to a shelter and was there for I guess two hours, when we heard another siren and But after that we were okay there after coming back,” she told ANI.
The woman was all smiles as she thanked Indian government for bringing them back.
She said, “We are so relaxed now and we thank the Government of India and our Prime Minister and every minister to support us to come back, thanks to everyone.”
Another Indian national on the flight also expressed his gratitude.” I thank the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. They supported us. We registered on the portal and the process was very easy. The operation is excellent. We are very happy to come back to India…”
Another passenger on the flight said that they had been in touch with the Indian Government since the second day since the start of the conflict. “They were active on WhatsApp groups and in contact with us. They were cooperating with us, providing all the information,” he said.
Another man who returned to India said ‘Operation Ajay‘ as “very excellent” and “successful”. “I thank the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. They support every time for their citizens in Israel and at this situation they support us very well and once we got to know that they are going to evacuate us, they started a portal. We registered at night 12 o’clock,” he said.
“In the morning, they confirmed that yes today you have flight, you can fly to India. This process was very excellent. The operation was launched quickly and I think this operation is very excellent and successful all we came here and we are very happy to come back to India,” he added.
He said that the Israel government and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is doing “great work” and people there trust them. He stated that the people in Israel are not in panic as they are aware on what to do when they hear the siren.
Aanchal Singh, who arrived on the flight from Israel said, “It was an awkward situation for me as it was for the first time that I heard siren. My husband was used to it and he told me that we have to rush to bunkers.
As many as 212 Indian nationals from Israel arrived at the Delhi airport early this morning on the special charter flight. Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar was present at the airport to welcome them. With folded hands, Chandrasekhar greeted Indians who arrived in Delhi. He then interacted with students. Reassuring the passengers of the flight from Israel, he said that India’s commitment to the safety of every Indian is unwavering. Prime Minister Modi is determined to protect them.
“Our government will never leave any Indian behind. Our government, our Prime Minister is determined to protect them and bring them back home safely. We are grateful to EAM Dr S Jaishankar, the team at the External Affairs Ministry, the flight crew of this Air India flight for making this possible, for bringing our children back home safely and soundly and back home to their loved ones,” Chandrasekhar said. (ANI)
Indian students thank govt for launching ‘Operation Ajay’ to bring them home amid Israel-Hamas war
By Ashoke Raj |
Tel Aviv [Israel], October 13 (ANI): In the midst of global concern surrounding the ongoing war in Israel, ‘Operation Ajay‘ shines as a beacon of hope for stranded Indians, providing a lifeline for their safe return to their homeland. Two Indian students, Vishesh and Harsh, recently shared their heartfelt experiences with ANI and expressed gratitude to the Indian government for executing this remarkable mission.
Vishesh, who returned from Tel Aviv, shared his emotions, “I am very happy, and it’s been really scary here. Now we are going home. See you in India. Thanks a lot, Indian government for evacuating us.”
Similarly, Harsh, a master’s student in electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University, conveyed his relief, “We are happy that the Modi government is providing us with support through ‘Operation Ajay.’ My parents were worried due to the situation, but they will be happy to see me home now.”
‘Operation Ajay‘ was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel who were amidst the war between Hamas and Israel. Registration of Indians began on Thursday.
The toll of war on civilians is a heartbreaking reality, and amidst the raging conflict, non-Israeli students studying in Israel are no exception. The fear, uncertainty, and emotional turmoil experienced by students, coupled with the anguish of their parents back in India, add to the already immense burden of conflict in the region.
As Vishesh and Harsh embark on their journey back to India, they carry with them stories of courage and hope, reminding us all of the importance of unity and compassion during challenging times. (ANI)
