As the Israel-Palestine conflict intensifies, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced the initiation of "Operation Ajay" to repatriate around 230 Indian nationals from "Israel" stating that “the operation aims to provide a safe return for those Indian citizens who wish to come back home.”
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated during a media briefing on Thursday that a chartered flight is expected to reach Tel Aviv this evening, and it will bring back the first group of approximately 230 Indians on Friday.
Israel has imposed a strict blockade on essential resources, including water, food, electricity, and gas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in hospitals running critically low on medicines and reagents.
The current wave of violence erupted after thousands of settlers conducted provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
In response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence, the group governing the besieged enclave, Hamas, launched a large-scale operation.
Palestinian fighters used parachutes to cross into Israel-occupied territories, Israel retaliated with airstrikes targeting the Gaza Strip and the bombardment continues.