India has launched an operation to repatriate its citizens stuck in Israel as the deadliest clashes between the Palestinian armed group Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces entered its fifth day, with heavy casualties on both sides.
“Launching #OperationAjay to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to return,” India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. “Special charter flights and other arrangements are being put in place. Fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad.”
The first group of Indians will be brought back to their country via a special flight on Thursday. “The Embassy has emailed the first lot of registered Indian citizens for the special flight tomorrow (Thursday),” India’s embassy in Israel posted on X, “Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights.”
Sanjeev Singla, India’s envoy to Israel, released a video statement for the Indian diaspora in the country, saying that the embassy is “working constantly” for their safety and welfare. “Do remain calm and vigilant,” he cautioned, adding that the embassy continues to watch developments closely.
India has set up a round-the-clock control room “to monitor the situation in the war-torn regions and provide information and assistance to Indian citizens,” the foreign ministry said. Around 18,000 citizens of India reside in Israel, according to the mission’s website, primarily caregivers employed by elderly Israelis, diamond traders, IT professionals, and students. There are also approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel who were part of the primary waves of emigration from India to Israel in the 1950s-60s.
An emergency helpline was also created for Indian nationals in the West Bank, who were advised to contact the local representative office of India.
India’s move to repatriate its citizens begins a day after the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, affirming to the latter that “India stands firmly with Israel.” Posting to X, Modi also underscored that “India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” – remarks reiterated in a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.
In the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Saturday, Modi took to X to state that he was “deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel.” New Delhi’s official statements on the ongoing conflict haven’t mentioned Palestine.
Hundreds of people have been killed and hundreds more injured after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was “at war” and promised Hamas retaliation they “have never known before.”
Israel retaliated by launching massive air strikes on Gaza, forcing over 260,000 people to flee their homes, with over two-thirds of them taking shelter in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The death toll in Gaza stood at 1,200 people, with approximately 5,000 injured, Palestine’s deputy health minister Yusuf Abu al-Reesh said on Thursday morning. At least 1,200 people have died due to the Hamas attacks on Israel, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in an update on Wednesday.