A second flight carrying 235 Indian nationals from Tel
Aviv in Israel, under Operation Ajay, landed at Indira Gandhi International
Airport in New Delhi on Saturday.
The evacuated Indian nationals were welcomed by Union
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, at the
airport. He welcomed Indian nationals with a handshake and folded hands.
People were seen hugging and embracing their families
and relatives as they arrived back in New Delhi with a feeling of relief but
minds full of ordeal.
As many as 447 Indian nationals, who were stranded
amid the raging Israel-Hamas war have been brought back to Bharat 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
the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
The passengers were mainly those who were staying and
working in Israel. They applauded the Indian Government for the initiative and
thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Before the second flight flew from Tel Aviv, Indian
passenger Ashish Kumar said, “I am going to Bharat. Here, I am a post-doctoral
student, at Agriculture Research Organisation. The situation in central Israel
is quite normal, not like the Gaza border, Beersheba and nearby regions”.
“I think this is a very good initiative of the Indian Government.
I had seen only European countries evacuating their citizens. So, I appreciate
the government for this,” he added.
Wagesh Dwiwedi, another passenger also appreciated the
initiative and recalled the tenure of former Minister Sushma Swaraj.
“I work as a visiting scientist at ARO. The situation
is tense here because of the bombarding, and it will get even more serious. So,
that’s why we are leaving. Everyone is scared at home. Operation Ajay is a very
positive step and I really appreciate it. The government has been carrying out
such missions since the time of Sushma Swaraj,” he said.
On Friday, the first flight under Operation Ajay
carrying 212 Indian passengers landed in Delhi.
Chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai were
also seen by the passengers on the first flight, according to a video shared by
a passenger.
Earlier on Thursday, Indian Ambassador to Israel,
Sanjeev Singla said 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 Bharat.
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.
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V
Muraleedharan also visited the 24/7 control room set up in New Delhi as part of
Operation Ajay.
He said Bharat continues to monitor the situation in
Israel and provide necessary information and assistance. He further said the
government is always committed to the safety of Indians abroad.
ANI
