Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), announced on Thursday that India will send its first charter flight to Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 12. The purpose behind is to bring back Indian citizens as part of Operation Ajay.
Addressing the media, Bagchi said, “India has launched the operation ajay aiming to ensure the safe return of those indians who have been residing in Israel and who wish to come back amid the attacks on the Israeli towns by Hamas terrorist groups over the weekend triggering tensions in the region.”
The MEA spokesperson further added, “The charter flight is expected to reach later in the evening today and will come back tomorrow morning. We expect 230 odd passengers to be brought back. We are keeping a close watch on the situation in Israel,” Bagchi added.
The first charter flight will be reaching Tel Aviv (Israel) tonight to pick up Indian citizens under #OperationAjay: @MEAIndia Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi pic.twitter.com/iCD1YBkLIt
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) October 12, 2023
“This is a dynamic, evolving situation. Request all Indians in Israel to register with Embassy there. There are 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, including students and caregivers,” he added.
Bagchi stated that India views the attacks by Hamas on Israeli cities as terrorist acts. In response to a question about India’s stance on the Palestine problem, he stated that New Delhi has consistently favoured the restart of direct negotiations towards the creation of a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine that coexists peacefully with Israel.
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