Operation Ajay: Fifth flight with 286 Indians, 18 Nepalis flies out of war-hit Israel
Operation Ajay: Under 'Operation Ajay,' India is bringing back 286 more passengers, including 18 Nepalese citizens, from war-torn Israel, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday.
Kanta Rizal, Nepal's ambassador to Israel, said that some of the 18 Nepalese citizens were staying in dangerous areas while others wished to return.
"We sent 254 Nepalese citizens on the Nepal Airlines on October 12 and may look to arrange more flights to take them out," she stated.
It is the fifth flight under 'Operation Ajay,' which India began on October 11 to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals from Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
On Tuesday, V Muraleedharan, minister of state (MoS) for external affairs, stated that if necessary, more flights will be scheduled based on the upcoming situation.
"As of now, 5 flights have come and if required we will operate more flights on the basis of the situation that emerges. During the last, almost 4-5 days, we have flown aircraft from Israel to India," the minister said.
"Conflict erupted in Israel, the Indian Embassy had issued an advisory, requesting the Indian citizens there to be cautious and also to register their names in the Indian Embassy..."
"The Indian Embassy is taking the call on who all have to travel to India based on the requests of the people and their ground situation there."
- With inputs from agencies
