WATCH: 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' chants ring out loud in the air as Indian evacuees leave Israel

Chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ were heard loud mid-air on the first charter flight that evacuated 212 Indians from war-battered Israel. The flight, under Operation Ajay, departed from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening and arrived in New Delhi in the early hours of Friday.

#WATCH | Chants of 'Vande Matram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' by passengers on the first flight carrying 212 Indian nationals from Israel. The flight landed at Delhi airport earlier today.

(Video Source: Passenger) pic.twitter.com/qZSMyPZmwS

— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2023

Operation Ajay was launched by India on Wednesday to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to return home as a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas since Saturday (October 7) triggered fresh tension in the region. Ahead of the take-off, there was a long queue of Indians, including students, at the airport in Tel Aviv to board the special flight being operated under Operation Ajay. [caption id=“attachment_13243952” align=“alignnone” width=“300”] Source: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar[/caption] Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar welcomed the passengers at the Delhi airport as they streamed into the lounge area from the tarmac side. Chandrasekhar greeted the Indians returning from Israel with folded hands and also shook hands with many of them saying, “Welcome home”. [caption id=“attachment_13243972” align=“alignnone” width=“300”] Source: @MEAIndia[/caption] The Indian embassy in Israel has announced a second flight for Friday and has sent out emails registering to leave on a “first come first serve basis”. On Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said around 18,000 Indians are currently residing in Israel while about a dozen people are in the West Bank and three to four are in Gaza.

VIDEO | "Our focus is to bring back Indians who want to come out of Israel. There are 18,000 Indians including students," says @MEAIndia spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. pic.twitter.com/xymp1lpY14

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 12, 2023

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