In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, the first flight bringing 212 Indian nationals back from Israel successfully landed at Delhi Airport on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
India had launched Operation Ajay to facilitate the return of those Indians who wish to come back home after a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants over the weekend triggered fresh tensions in the region.
"We are thankful to India... Most of the students were a little bit panicked. Suddenly we saw some notifications and links for every Indian citizen through the embassy of India which boosted our morale. We felt like the embassy of India was connected with us which was a kind of relief to us. And then we got all the arrangements," Shubham Kumar, a student in Israel, told news agency PTI.
Earlier on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said around 18,000 Indians are currently residing in Israel while about a dozen odd people are in the West Bank and three to four are in Gaza.
"The external affairs minister took a preparatory meeting earlier in the day. We are in touch with our embassy in Tel Aviv, our representative office in Ramallah as well as with our missions in the neighbouring countries, particularly Jordan, Syria and Egypt," Bagchi said.
"We are keeping a close watch on developments as well as what steps we need to take to assist the Indian citizens who are in Israel," he added.
Asked about reports of one Indian caregiver from Kerala sustaining injuries in the attacks by Hamas, he said: "We are aware of that case. The person is in the hospital and improving."
Bagchi said more chartered flights will be arranged to bring back the Indians. At the same time, he said it will depend on the number of people expressing a desire to return home.
He said there was no report of any Indian casualty so far.
Military officials said the Indian Air Force has kept its transport aircraft on standby for any possible deployment to bring back the Indians from Israel.
The multi-pronged attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza since Saturday and the subsequent Israeli retaliation have left around 2,600 people dead. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive in Gaza to avenge the attacks by Hamas.
The sudden escalation in hostilities between Israel and Palestine has triggered global concerns. Leading powers like Germany, the US, France and the UK emphasised the importance of preventing the situation from further escalation.