As the Israel-Hamas war escalated and countries scrambled to bring home their people trapped in the fighting or looking for a way out of the war zone, India Wednesday announced it was launching Operation Ajay to repatriate its citizens from Israel and Palestine starting Thursday.
The Indian government will facilitate the return of Indian citizens through special chartered flights. Indian Navy ships will also be pressed into service should the need arise.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a post on X, said, “Launching #OperationAjay to facilitate the return from Israel of our citizens who wish to return. Special charter flights and other arrangements (are) being put in place. Fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad.”
The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv said it has emailed the first lot of registered Indian citizens for the special flight Thursday. “Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights,” it said.
Jaishankar also spoke to UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Wednesday evening.
“Discussed the ongoing crisis in West Asia. Agreed to stay in touch,” he tweeted. This was his first contact with a Foreign Minister of an Arab nation after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and carried out large-scale killings, mostly of civilians.
The UAE and Bahrain have criticised Hamas for the attacks.
Earlier Wednesday, officials told The Indian Express that India had set in motion “contingency” plans to get its nationals out of harm’s way in Israel and Palestine, including a small number of residents in Gaza.
As a first step, the Ministry of External Affairs set up a 24-hour control room Wednesday as Israel continued to pound Hamas-ruled Gaza with air strikes.
The stated objective of the control room is to help monitor the situation and provide information and assistance. According to a statement issued by the MEA, the contact details of the control room in New Delhi are: 1800118797 (toll-free), +91-11 23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905, +919968291988, situationroom@mea.gov.in.
Simultaneously, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv set up a 24-hour emergency helpline that can be accessed at +972-35226748, +972-543278392, cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in.
India’s Representative Office in Ramallah also set up a 24-hour emergency helpline: +970-592916418 (also WhatsApp), rep.ramallah@mea.gov.in.
The embassy also reminded Indian nationals in Israel to register with the embassy at the link: https://indembassyisrael.gov.in/whats?id=dwjwb.
There are around 18,000 Indian citizens living and working/studying in Israel. A big chunk of them work as caregivers but there are also about 1,000 students, several IT professionals and diamond traders.
The control rooms will assess the number of Indian nationals in Israel and Palestine, their current location and willingness to move out of those places.
On Tuesday, when he received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi “highlighted the issue of safety and security of Indian citizens in Israel”. Netanyahu, the PMO said in a statement, assured full cooperation and support.
This set the ball rolling for Delhi to draw up contingency plans for possible evacuation of Indians there.
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As the two leaders agreed to remain in close touch, Indian Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla, in a recorded message on X, said: “This is to assure you that the embassy is working constantly for your safety and welfare. All of us are going through very difficult times but please do remain calm and vigilant and follow the local security guidelines.”
“We are here to help you, and we thank many of you who have sent so many messages of appreciation to us. We are monitoring the situation closely and please stay tuned for any updates from the embassy. Jai Hind,” he said.
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv, meanwhile, has reached out to a caregiver from Kerala, injured in the rocket shelling of Ashdod last Saturday, the day of the Hamas attack. The embassy has been in constant touch with her and her family in India. Members of the Indian community there have also been visiting her in hospital. Her condition is said to be stable.
