Operation Ajay: Second flight carrying 235 Indians arrives from Israel
New Delhi: In the midst of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, a second flight successfully brought back 235 Indian nationals to Delhi Airport on Saturday. Yesterday, 212 Indian citizens were also evacuated from Israel amid the country’s raging conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The second batch of Indian nationalists, including two infants, safely landed in India on Friday. The Minister of State for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, personally received them at the airport.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared a picture of the second repatriation of the stranded citizens on X, formerly known as Twitter, as said: #OperationAjay Flight #2 carrying 235 Indian nationals takes off from Tel Aviv.”
The first flight departed from Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Thursday evening and touched down in New Delhi on Friday morning. Passengers were selected on a ‘First come, first served basis.
The Indian government initiated ‘Operation Ajay’ on October 11, with the primary goal of bringing back stranded Indian citizens from Israel. The operation was launched in response to the suspension of commercial operations to and from Israel by Air India and other airlines due to the conflict that began on October 7. According to reports, the Indian Navy will also be deployed if the need arises.