Operation Ajay: 143 Passengers, Including 2 Nepali Nationals, Land In New Delhi In 6th Flight

Operation Ajay is dedicated to evacuating approximately 18,000 Indians from Israel with the Indian government committing to the safe return of its citizens.

As 'Operation Ajay' perseveres, a sixth flight carrying 143 passengers from Tel Aviv landed in New Delhi on Sunday. This humanitarian mission, aimed at repatriating Indian citizens stranded in Israel during the country's war with Hamas, is being executed by the Indian Armed Forces. Operation Ajay is dedicated to evacuating approximately 18,000 Indians from Israel with the Indian government committing to the safe return of its citizens.

"6th #OperationAjay flight lands in New Delhi. 143 passengers including 2 Nepalese citizens arrived onboard the flight. Welcomed by MoS @SteelMinIndia & @MoRD_GoI @fskulaste at the airport," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed.

Earlier as the flight departed from Tel Aviv, the Indian Embassy in Israel posted on social media platform X, "The sixth flight has taken off from Tel Aviv to Delhi. Embassy wishes everyone on board a safe journey." The accompanying images posted by the embassy portrayed passengers jubilantly waving the Indian tricolour while being evacuated from Israel during the ongoing war with Hamas.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, also reported on this operation's progress, stating, "#OperationAjay update Flight #6 departs from Tel Aviv."

The fifth flight under Operation Ajay arrived in New Delhi late on Tuesday night, carrying 286 Indian nationals, including 18 citizens of Nepal. On arrival, they were welcomed by the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, L Murugan.

Minister L Murugan expressed the government's dedication to repatriating stranded Indians, stating, "Wherever Indians are stranded, our priority is to bring them back. We have successfully conducted Operation Ganga and Operation Kaveri. Now, under Operation Ajay, we are bringing people back from Israel. This is the fifth flight, and we have already brought 1180 people back home. We are the first country to start the evacuation, and we are also bringing people belonging to our neighbour (Nepal) countries", news agency ANI reported.

Grateful for the support they received during the evacuation, returning Indian nationals conveyed their thanks to the Indian government and the embassy. Vishal, one of the returnees, stated, "The Indian government has helped us a lot, and we are thankful to the embassy."

Another evacuee, Ramesh, praised the assistance provided by the Indian Embassy in Israel, saying, "The facilities provided by the Indian Embassy were very good. We got a lot of help from the Indian Embassy in Israel", as quoted by ANI.

The fourth flight from Israel under 'Operation Ajay' arrived in the national capital last week, carrying 274 Indian passengers. Union Minister of State General (Retd) VK Singh received the passengers at the airport, interacting with them and presenting each passenger with a tricolour flag.

MoS for Road Transport and Highways, VK Singh, revealed that additional flights are planned to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian citizens from Israel. Indian nationals expressed their appreciation for the operation, citing support from the Indian embassy and describing the evacuation process as efficient and swift.

The Indian Embassy in Israel continues to provide assistance to Indian companies and has established a helpline for Indian citizens requiring support during these challenging times.