New Delhi: New Delhi: Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the first special flight arranged by the Indian government to evacuate its citizens from the conflict zone will depart from Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday evening. Sources said that the flight will carry 230 Indians who registered themselves on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Indian government will cover the entire cost of their travel.
The flight is part of Operation Ajay, a humanitarian mission to assist those who wish to return to India from Israel but are unable to do so due to the suspension of air services. Air India had halted its flights on October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel involving rockets, drones, and ground troops. The flights have not resumed yet.
Sources said that the passengers on the special flight will not be charged any fare and the government will bear all the expenses of their return.
The Indian Embassy in Israel has advised Indians living there to register themselves at the Embassy of India, Tel Aviv, Israel. The registration will help them access the facilities they need in case of an emergency. The Embassy said that registering will also facilitate the availability of information about various events through their email network. The link for registration is here.
The Embassy has also issued a 24×7 emergency helpline number, contact number, and email ID for Indians in Israel. They are as follows: +972-35226748 and +972-543278392 Email: cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in
About 18,000 Indian citizens are living and working in Israel. Most of them are caregivers, but there are also about a thousand students, many IT professionals, and diamond traders.
The Representative Office of India (ROI) in Ramallah is also in constant touch with the four Indians living in Gaza, the Palestinian territory under Hamas control. ROI told PTI that they are trying to help all Indians, but they have limited options given the situation on the ground. Meanwhile, the Indian Mission in Tel Aviv is also trying to help all the Indians in the affected areas.
The war between Israel and Hamas has escalated since October 7, when Hamas launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” against Israel in response to what it called atrocities against Palestinians. Hamas said it had fired 5,000 rockets, while Israel confirmed that the group’s fighters had entered its territory. Israel has retaliated with a deadly bombardment of Gaza and declared war on Hamas on Sunday. The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that at least 413 people had been killed and nearly 2,300 wounded so far in Israeli attacks. The Israeli death toll due to Hamas attacks rose to at least 700 people, according to the latest reports by Israeli media.
