Fourth flight from Israel carrying 274 Indians lands in Delhi, evacuees thank govt for 'Operation Ajay'

NEW DELHI: The fourth flight from Israel under 'Operation Ajay' carrying 274 Indian passengers landed in the national capital on Sunday. Union Minister of State General (Retd) VK Singh received the Indian passengers at the airport. He interacted with them and also gave tricolours to every Indian passenger.

MoS for Road Transport and Highways, VK Singh informed that more flights will be carried out to evacuate the Indian citizens amid the situation in Israel.

"This is the 4th flight, we are expecting more for a couple of reasons. One is the fear that something might hit them. After having been taken by surprise, Israel also gathered its things in a more orderly manner. However, the universities being closed, a general atmosphere of fear and preparation that is going on in Israel, our people fear that they should not unnecessarily become burden out there and come back home. And go back when things pan out in a better manner," Singh told ANI.

He further urged people not to panic and follow the instructions, adding that another flight will be coming on Monday.

"There is another flight coming in tomorrow. We will keep running the flights till all the people who have registered are taken out. This operation is going very well. It is seamless, well organised... My message would be to stay where you are and follow the instructions. There is no need to panic," he added. The Indian passengers said that the situation in Israel remains tense and thanked the Modi government for carrying out 'Operation Ajay' and evacuating the Indian citizens.

An Indian student coming from Israel told ANI, "In the beginning it was horrific. Everything was uncontrollable. But now the situation is under control. The government and military are taking very strict action...Thank you, it was the best initiative (Operation Ajay) taken by the government of India..." "In Tel Aviv the situation is normal. But in the south and north Israel, there are chances of war. That's why we returned...The government did a very good job. They responded very fast within 2-3 days," another Indian national named Sumit said.

The Indian nationals applauded the operation and said that there was support from the Indian embassy and the evacuation process was nice and quick.

Priya Gupta, an Indian national said, "I was in Tel Aviv University for the past two years... There was support from the Indian embassy as well... I feel thankful to the Indian government for making this arrangement. It was really quick." "We were in Tel Aviv and that area is very safe. Initially, for the first two days, we were afraid, but the fear was more in the border area. There was no problem in Tel Aviv, but there was little panic. There was uncertainty about what would happen?... The evacuation process was very nice and quick. We applied for it a day before yesterday and got the flight yesterday," another Indian national Dipender Pawari said.

Meanwhile, ten citizens of Uttarakhand were also among the 274 Indian passengers who arrived in Delhi. They were received at the airport by the representative of Uttarakhand Government and after rest and refreshments at Uttarakhand Sadan, Delhi, necessary arrangements were made for their destination.

A senior lady named Pushpa Singh said, "I am from Uttarakhand. I had gone to Israel to meet my daughter, but got stranded after the bombing started. I contacted the Embassy and they provided all the necessary help and arrangements. I thank the Indian government for this".

'Operation Ajay' was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel. Registration of Indians began on Thursday. It has been more than a week after the attack that saw more than 1,300 Israelis killed, most of them civilians, as waves of Hamas terrorists breached the border.

Over 1,000 Palestinians were also killed as a result of retaliatory strikes from Israel. 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.