In the ongoing evacuation efforts to rescue Indian and Nepalese citizens from the conflict zone amidst the war between Israel and Hamas, a SpiceJet flight with 286 passengers, including 18 Nepalese nationals, from Tel Aviv landed at the Delhi airport on Tuesday. This is the fifth flight to be operated under the government's Operation Ajay to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to come back from Israel where an intense conflict is going on with the militant group Hamas.
In a post on social media platform X, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that 286 passengers, including 18 Nepalese nationals, arrived on board the fifth flight under Operation Ajay. He also shared pictures of the passengers being welcomed at the airport by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan.
According to the Kerala government, there were 22 people from the state among the passengers who arrived in the flight. The SpiceJet aircraft A340 had faced a technical issue after landing at Tel Aviv on Sunday and the plane was taken to Jordan to rectify the problem. After fixing the issue, the plane returned with people from Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The aircraft was originally scheduled to return to the national capital on Monday morning.
The decision to evacuate Indian and Nepalese citizens was prompted by the brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7. In response, 'Operation Ajay' was initiated on October 12 to provide an organised and safe departure for those who wished to return to India.
At least 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been reported dead in Israel, while 2,778 Palestinians have lost their lives amid the war.