India launches Operation Ajay to bring back citizens from war-hit Israel

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced the launch of Operation Ajay on Wednesday, to bring back Indians stranded in war-hit Israel. “Special charter flights and other arrangements being put in place,” he added.

Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani, told PTI news agency that more than 20,000 Indians live in the country which is currently at war with Palestinian group Hamas. Shoshani added that he didn’t know the exact number of Indians stuck in Israel.

On Tuesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Jaishankar saying around 7,000 people from the state are in Israel and sought intervention to ensure their safety.

The Tamil Nadu government also issued a statement saying they received information about 84 people from the state who are stranded in Israel. The authorities said the stranded Indians had gone to Israel for further studies, business or as tourists.

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha arrived in Mumbai on October 8 after she was stranded in Israel. She was attending the Haifa International Film Festival when the war broke out.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) set up a round-the-clock control room in Delhi and separate emergency helplines in Tel Aviv and Ramallah to monitor the situation and provide information and assistance to Indians who may require help.

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Wednesday. As the two sides engaged in continuous attacks against each other, new parties entered the conflict.

Hezbollah, a political party and a terrorist group from Lebanon, said it was responsible for firing precision missiles at Israel. Israel is also being attacked from Syria as the country’s forces said shells launched from its northern neighbour landed on Israeli territory.

However, Israeli forces could not confirm whether the shells were fired by Syrian armed forces.