Curated By: Saurabh Verma
Last Updated: October 19, 2023, 19:16 IST
The ministry said more special flights are being planned to bring Indian nationals from the war-hit country. (File photo/ANI)
The MEA said 1,200 people have returned to India in five special flights including 18 Nepalese nationals from Israel under Operation Ajay
As the Israel-Hamas war continued for the 13th day, India on Thursday said it is difficult to evacuate its citizens from Gaza in the view of current situation.
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said there were around four Indian nationals in Gaza, where an airstrike near a hospital killed nearly 500 hundred people.
“There were four people in Gaza earlier. We don’t have the exact number at present. I had said earlier that there were around 12-13 people in West Bank. The situation in Gaza is difficult for any evacuation but if we get a chance, we will get them out. There are some reports that one or two of them have gotten out. But don’t have confirmation yet,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a weekly press conference.
The MEA said 1,200 people have returned in five special flights including 18 Nepalese from Israel under Operation Ajay. The ministry said more special flights are being planned to bring Indian nationals from the war-hit country.
The Ministry of External Affairs had informed that there are around 18,000 Indians in Israel.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that the death toll in Gaza since October 7 has reached 3,785, which includes 1,524 children, 1,000 women, and 120 elderly individuals. Health Minister spokesperson, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, stated that an additional 12,493 people have been injured, which comprises 3,983 children and 3,300 women.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and conveyed his condolences on the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
The PM said that he reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.
“We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” Modi wrote on X
