India, Oct. 12 -- The first batch of Indians is expected to return from Israel on Thursday on a special flight arranged as part of "Operation Ajay", which is facilitating citizens who wish to come home following an upsurge in violence since the Hamas attacks last weekend.

India launched the operation on Wednesday, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar announcing that the government will assist citizens who wish to return from Israel. Special charter flights and other arrangements were being put in place for this, he posted on X.

The Indian embassy in Israel, in another post on X, said it had informed the first batch of Indian citizens who had registered to return about the special flight being operated on Thursday. "Messages to ot...