NEW DELHI: As part of 'Operation Ajay' launched to rescue Indians from war-torn Israel, a flight carrying 274 Indian nationals arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Sunday. This is the fourth flight since the launch of the special operation. It departed from Israel's Ben Gurion airport at 11.45 pm local time. 

This was the second flight in a day and fourth flight since 'Operation Ajay' was launched, to depart from Israel. Before this, a flight left around 5.40 pm local time, with the third batch of 197 Indian nationals. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had tweeted about the fourth flight departing from Israel. "2nd flight of the day departs from Tel Aviv carrying 274 passengers," the tweet read. 

The special flights are part of the operation launched on October 12 to facilitate the return of those Indian nationals who wish to return home. 
The Embassy of India in Israel posted on X, "As part of #OperationAjay, Indian nationals still in Israel and wishing to travel back to India are urgently requested to complete the attached travel form."

Travel slots will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis in 'Operation Ajay'. "In the event of a no-show or refusal to travel after confirmation and slotting, your name will be moved to the back of the queue," the Indian embassy in Israel earlier said. 

"The Embassy has been working round the clock to facilitate all our citizens in Israel who wish to leave. We have reached out to students, caregivers, and business people. Some of them are actually working with us as volunteers. We urge everyone to remain calm," Ambassador Sanjeev Singla told news agency PTI.

The first charter flight from Israel carried 212 people on Thursday. The second batch of 235 Indian nationals was flown back late on Friday. So far, a total of 918 Indian nationals have been flown out of Israel.
There are about 18,000 Indian nationals living and working in Israel, including caregivers, students, several IT professionals, and diamond traders.

The ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants necessitated the voluntary departure of Indians from Israel. 
The surprise attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7 has killed more than 1,300 people in Israel while the Israeli counter-airstrikes have killed at least 1,900 people in Gaza.