Jerusalem, 23 June

The second batch of evacuation of Indian nationals from Israel on Monday saw two groups of 175 and 268 people leave through Israel's border with Jordan and Egypt, taking the total number of Indians taken out of the war-torn country to 603 in two days.

The first batch of 160 people left for Jordan on Sunday from where they had boarded the flight today by 2.15 pm local time, an evacuee onboard the flight told PTI before departure.

The 443 people who crossed the Israeli border on Monday would be taking two separate flights from Jordan and Egypt arranged by the Ministry of External Affairs in coordination with the Indian missions in those countries.

The complex and tightly-coordinated effort between New Delhi and the three missions has brought a huge relief to Indians in Israel constantly grappling with sounds of sirens and frequently taking cover in bunkers and fortified safe rooms from incoming missiles and drones fired from Iran.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv had set up a 24x7 Control Room during the past week to oversee all facets of the evacuation effort.

The Control Room issued advisories as per the evolving situation, directed Indian nationals to register via an online portal, and managed thousands of phone calls and emails while compiling a detailed database of Indian citizens across Israel.

"Evacuation priorities were determined based on medical emergencies, the presence of young children, women, and students. Embassy officials proactively contacted registrants by phone and email to confirm travel details and allocate them to specific evacuation flights,” embassy sources earlier told PTI.

The situation on the ground was also being closely monitored at the highest levels of the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who remained actively engaged receiving real-time updates on the safety and security of the Indian nationals, the sources said.

The Government of India announced Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals desiring to return home from war-torn Israel on 19 June.

Indian nationals living in Israel looked particularly shaken by direct strikes in several locations, including Haifa, Ramat Gan, Beersheba, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.

Fortified safe rooms, located in both private residences and public areas, have become makeshift sanctuaries for people living in the north and south of Israel under the constant threat of missile attacks.

The governments of Israel, Jordan and Egypt have extended crucial support in ensuring the safe and orderly transit of Indian nationals across the border.

The Embassies of India in Jordan and Egypt have been helping in the evacuation process by receiving the evacuees at the border and facilitating their onward journey to the airport.

Operation Sindhu joins the ranks of previous high-profile evacuation missions such as Operation Ganga, Operation Devi Shakti, Operation Kaveri, and Operation Ajay which successfully brought home Indians from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan and Israel respectively.