Operation Ajay is bringing back Indians from war-torn Israel (File)
The third batch of 197 Indians wanting to leave Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war is on their way home on a special flight.
Special flights are being operated as part of "Operation Ajay", launched on October 12, to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to return home amid the attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas from Gaza on October 7.
"Operation Ajay moves forward. 197 more passengers are coming back to India," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on X.
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced that two special flights will operate from the Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday.
The first flight left around 5:40 pm local time, while the second is scheduled at 11 pm local time and can carry 330 passengers.
The third batch of 197 Indian nationals left for home around 5:40 pm local time.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Israel posted on X, "As part of Operation Ajay, Indian nationals still in Israel and wishing to travel back to India are urgently requested to complete the attached travel form." The Indian Embassy also issued guidelines that " travel slots will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis in the 'Operation Ajay' and "In the event of a no-show or refusal to travel after confirmation and slotting, your name will be moved to the back of the queue."
"The Embassy has been working round the clock to facilitate all our citizens in Israel who wish to leave. We have reached out to students, caregivers, and business people. Some of them are actually working with us as volunteers. We urge everyone to remain calm," Ambassador Sanjeev Singla told news agency PTI.
"The Embassy has emailed the next lot of registered Indian citizens for two special flights today. Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights," the Indian Embassy in Israel posted the announcement on X.
The passengers are chosen on a "first come first serve" basis after a drive launched by the Indian embassy for all Indians to register at the mission's database. The government is bearing the cost of their return.
The first charter flight from Israel carried 212 people on Thursday. The second batch of 235 Indian nationals were flown back late on Friday. So far, a total of 644 Indian nationals have been flown out of Israel.
There are about 18,000 Indian nationals living and working in Israel including caregivers, students, several IT professionals, and diamond traders.
The voluntary departure of Indian nationals was necessitated after armed Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip launched an unprecedented attack on Israel by land, air, and sea on October 7.
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