The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday evacuated 224 Indian nationals from war-hit Israel, bringing the total number of citizens safely repatriated under Operation Sindhu to 818.

Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje welcomed the evacuees at New Delhi airport and reiterated the government’s commitment to the safety of Indian citizens abroad.

In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated: “MoS Ms. Shobha Karandlaje received 224 Indian nationals who returned to India from Israel on an IAF aircraft at 10:30 Hrs on 25th June. The safety and security of Indian nationals remain a priority for the government.”

The IAF is deploying its C-17 transport aircraft to carry out evacuation missions from Israel and neighboring safe zones, including Jordan and Egypt. Operation Sindhu, launched in response to escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, aims to rescue stranded Indian nationals and citizens of friendly nations like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The evacuation effort began on June 23, with the first group of 161 Indians flown from Amman, Jordan to New Delhi. This was followed by a second mission later the same day, in which 286 Indian citizens were evacuated from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Parallel evacuation efforts continue in Iran, where over 2,850 Indian nationals have already been brought home, according to the MEA.

Operation Sindhu is the latest in a series of large-scale humanitarian evacuations undertaken by India in recent years, following missions like Operation Ganga and Vande Bharat.