The first flight carrying 212 Indian people, who were stranded in Israel, arrived in New Delhi on Friday.

The evacuation is taking place after the Indian government announced Operation Ajay, a measure to bring back Indians from war-torn Israel.

Following the arrival of the stranded Indians, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: "Welcome to the homeland!"

He said: "1st #OperationAjay flight carrying 212 citizens touches down in New Delhi.'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is monitoring the operation, earlier wrote on X: "#OperationAjay gets underway."

"212 citizens onboard the flight are enroute New Delhi," he had posted.

Hamas-run health ministry has claimed Israel's overnight airstrikes have left 51 people dead and  281 hurt.

Also Read: Operation Ajay's first flight to bring back 230 Indians from Israel, Jaishankar monitors evacuation mission

As per a report by BBC News, 1,300 people in Israel have been killed in the attack by militant organisation Hamas.

In a retaliatory air strike by Israel, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Gaza.