Gandhinagar: As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, a significant number of Gujarati individuals, particularly those who were pursuing higher education in Israel, have returned to Gujarat. They intend to resume their studies once the situation stabilizes. By October 17, 37 Gujarati students had already returned from Israel. Most of them registered with the rescue mission initiated by the Indian government, while a few returned independently.

During a press briefing on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, reported that 1,200 people, including 18 Nepali nationals, have returned to India on five flights as part of Operation Ajay. Further flights will be arranged based on ongoing assessments of the situation, the MEA spokesperson added. Operation Ajay is an ongoing effort led by the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens from Israel during the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict, with the goal of repatriating around 18,000 Indians from Israel.

Adarsh Patel, a 26-year-old PhD student at Bar Ilan University’s faculty of medicine, shared his experience of receiving alert messages instructing residents to seek shelter during the conflict. Adarsh hails from Kutch and returned to India on October 15 after living in the Israeli city of Safed for the past 20 months. He plans to go back once the situation normalises.

In another such case, Mafatbhai Kher, pursuing postdoctoral studies at Ariel University, mentioned that his family in India was anxious about his safety, even though his city in Israel was relatively safe. Another young man, Saumya Mehta, a PhD student in Ariel for the past year and a-half, reported that his city had not come under attack during the Israel-Hamas war and stated his intention to return once the situation improves.

Additionally, another 26-year-old PhD student from Ahmedabad, studying in Haifa, returned home as a precautionary measure, although he did not face any immediate emergencies. He arrived in India on October 14. DeshGujarat