Very thankful to government for bringing us back, say Indians on first flight from Israel under Operation Ajay

NEW DELHI: 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.

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 post doctorate studies in Israel who was on the flight which took off from Ben Gurion airport in Israel on October 12.

The woman was carrying in her arms her 5-month-old son, who was born in Israel, when she landed in the national capital and there was 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) we decided to come back to India. She described the day the Hamas attack took place and the ensuing chaos that followed. She said that there was a siren that they heard early October 7 morning when Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border and attacked Israel.

"On the first day actually, we were sleeping and at around 6:30, there was a siren. For two years we had been there we had not experienced that much of chaos. And with my son it is hard. But we managed we ran to a shelter and was there for I guess two hours, when we heard another siren and But after that we were okay there after coming back," she told ANI.

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 to support 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.

"They were active on WhatsApp groups and in contact with us. They were cooperating with us, providing all the information," he said.

Another man who returned to India said 'Operation Ajay' as "very excellent" and "successful". "I thank the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. They support every time for their citizens in Israel and at this situation they support us very well and once we got to know that they are going to evacuate us, they started a portal. We registered at night 12 o'clock," he said.

"In the morning, they confirmed that yes today you have flight, you can fly to India. This process was very excellent. The operation was launched quickly and I think this operation is very excellent and successful all we came here and we are very happy to come back to India," he added.

He said that the Israel government and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is doing "great work" and people there trust them. He stated that the people in Israel are not in panic as they are aware on what to do when they hear the siren.

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. Prime Minister Modi is determined to protect them. "Our government will never leave any Indian behind. Our government, our Prime Minister is determined to protect them and bring them back home safely. We are grateful to EAM Dr S Jaishankar, the team at the External Affairs Ministry, the flight crew of this Air India flight for making this possible, for bringing our children back home safely and soundly and back home to their loved ones," Chandrasekhar said.