Bhubaneswar: Nine students from Odisha were among the 212 Indians who arrived in New Delhi in the first charter flight under Operation Ajay from the war-hit Israel.
They were brought back safely as part of the special measures launched by the government to facilitate the return of the Indian nationals from the war zone.
According to sources, the nine Odia students who were pursing their higher studies in Israel are from different areas including Nayagarh, Cuttack, and Sonepur.
Soon after they landed in New Delhi, the students were taken to Odisha Niwas and Odisha Bhawan in the national capital and necessary arrangements are being made to facilitate their return to their native places in Odisha.
Hailing the initiative taken by the government for their safe return, the students thanked the authorities.
It is expected that over 50 people from Odisha are stranded in Israel and they are reported to be safe.
Narrating their ordeal in the war-hit Israel, some of the students told media after their arrival in Delhi that the India Embassy had submitted a form and those stranded informed that they wanted to return to India. As per the instructions, they were asked to reach the airport and complete other formalities.
Some of the students, who were in Israel for more than one year, said that they failed to understand as to what happened after siren blew on the first day of the attack in Israel. Later, they hid inside bunkers.
Stating that Israel has a strong air defence system, they said a major threat was from infiltrators. “The situation was very tense and we were all scared. Now we are happy that we have reached our country,” said a student.
Notably, Operation Ajay has been launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel. The first flight with 212 passengers, including an infant, took off at 10:14 pm (local time) on Thursday from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. There was a festive mood among the returnees who chanted ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Matram’ on the flight.
