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Watch: Indians arrive on first flight from Israel under 'Operation Ajay'

Those who were being repatriated from Israel thanked the Indian government for bringing them back

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Photo: Screengrab

By ANI

Published: Fri 13 Oct 2023, 10:21 AM

The first charter flight carrying the first batch of Indian citizens stranded in Israel amid the ongoing war with terrorist group Hamas arrived in New Delhi on Friday morning under Operation Ajay.

Those who were being repatriated from Israel thanked Indian government for bringing them back.

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Speaking to ANI, one of the passengers who landed at the Indira Gandhi International today said, "This is the first time that we are facing such a situation over there. We are very thankful to the Indian government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing us back. We are hoping for peace as soon as possible so that we can go back to work as earliest as possible."

Another Indian woman, an agricultural researcher who along with her husband was doing her postdoctorate studies in Israel was on the flight which took off from Ben Gurion airport in Israel on October 12.

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The woman was carrying in her arms her 5-month-old son, who was born in Israel, when she landed in the national capital, with visible relief on her face.

"We live in southern part like the city with Russia. It's safe. But we decided because of him (her son) to come back to India."

She described the day of the Hamas attack and the ensuing chaos that followed. She said there was a siren they heard early morning when Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border and attacked Israel.

The woman was all smiles as she thanked Indian government for bringing them back.

She said, "We are so relaxed now and we thank the Government of India and our Prime Minister and every minister who supported us to come back, thanks to everyone."

Another Indian national on the flight also expressed his gratitude. "I thank the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. They supported us. We registered on the portal and the process was very easy. The operation is excellent. We are very happy to come back to India."

Another passenger on the flight said that they had been in touch with the Indian Government since the second day since the start of the conflict.

Another man who returned to India said 'Operation Ajay' as "very excellent" and "successful".

"In the morning, they confirmed that yes today you have a flight, you can fly to India. The process was very excellent. The operation was launched quickly and I think this operation is successful. All of us came back and we are very happy to be in India," he added.

Aanchal Singh, who arrived on the flight from Israel said, "It was an awkward situation for me as it was for the first time that I heard siren. My husband was used to it and he told me that we have to rush to bunkers."

As many as 212 Indian nationals from Israel arrived at the Delhi airport early this morning on the special charter flight. Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar was present at the airport to welcome them.

With folded hands, Chandrasekhar greeted Indians who arrived in Delhi. He then interacted with students. Reassuring the passengers of the flight from Israel, he said that India's commitment to the safety of every Indian is unwavering.

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ANI

Published: Fri 13 Oct 2023, 10:21 AM

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