India brings back first batch of citizens from Israel
The first group of around 200 Indians, including students, returned home early today from war-hit Israel.
They returned on a chartered flight operated as part of the Indian government's mission "Operation Ajay", launched to facilitate the return of those who wish to return to India due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Federal Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar welcomed returnees at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi as they reached the lounge, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
#OperationAjay gets underway.
212 citizens onboard the flight are enroute New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/fGSAYiXbBA
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 12, 2023
The government is reportedly bearing the cost of the return of those returning home.
"We are thankful to India ... Most of the students were a little panicked. We saw some notifications and links for every Indian citizen through the embassy of India which boosted our morale. We felt like the embassy of India was connected with us which was a kind of relief to us," Shubham Kumar, who is studying in Israel, said.
There are an estimated 18,000 Indians in Israel, around a dozen in the West Bank, and three to four in Gaza.
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