India launched Operation Ajay, a dedicated initiative to facilitate the safe return of its citizens from Israel amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar announced the operation, emphasizing the government's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of Indian citizens abroad.
This occurred after Air India and other airlines suspended all their commercial operations to and from Israel due to the outbreak of war on 7 October. Under this operation, special chartered flights will bring back the Indians.
Helpline numbers issued:-
The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a 24-hour control room in the national capital to monitor the situation in Israel and Palestine. The phone numbers for the control room are: 1800118797 (toll free), +91-11 23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905 and +919968291988, while the email ID is situationroom@mea.gov.in.
Indian Embassy's 24-hour emergency helpline - +972-35226748 and +972-543278392, and email ID cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in can also be reached.
What is Operation Ajay?
Operation Ajay is a campaign launched to bring back Indian citizens from Israel, it is not a rescue operation. Special chartered flights have been deployed in this operation and navy ships can also be deployed if needed. In this campaign only those Indians who want to come back will be brought back. Not all Indians will be brought back in this. There are currently around 18,000 Indians living in Israel, including students, professionals and businessmen. Operation Ajay has been started for the return of Indian citizens who want to return from Israel.
Israel-Hamas war 2023
The ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas began on 7 October 2023, when militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip. This was met with an Israeli counter-attack, with Israel formally declaring war on Hamas a day later. This incident is part of the decades-long Arab–Israeli conflict, specifically the Gaza–Israel conflict.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that controls some areas of the Gaza Strip. He also wants to make this area an Islamic state. Hamas has been ruling Gaza since 2007. Meanwhile, Hamas had many conflicts with Israel. Amidst this war, Israel has also carried out several retaliatory attacks on Hamas.
The Hamas group has been declared a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and Britain, as well as other countries. At the same time, Hamas has the support of Iran which keeps providing it weapons and training.
What is Gaza Patti?
The Gaza Patti is a 41 km (25 mi) long and 10 km wide area between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. About 2.3 million people live here, which is one of the highest population density areas in the world. Israel controls the airspace over Gaza and its coastline. Egypt controls its border with Gaza.