New Delhi: India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) provided a critical update this week regarding the safety and status of Indian nationals currently caught in the escalating hostilities in the Middle East, saying that all Indian nationals are safe.
Addressing the inter-ministerial briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the well-being of the majority of the diaspora, stating, "All Indian citizens in Israel are safe. There were reports of an Indian citizen being injured. Our embassy there is monitoring the matter. The person is safe."
However, Jaiswal also shared details regarding the toll the West Asia conflict has taken on Indian families. "Six Indian citizens have lost their lives in this conflict, and one Indian citizen has been injured, and one is missing," Jaiswal said, adding that 300,000 Indians have returned to India since the conflict began.
With around 10 million Indian workers in the Gulf region and around $85 billion in annual remittances, the situation is being closely watched by families and officials alike. The MEA has set up 24/7 helplines to help those affected and is working to bring back the remains of those who died.
Over 1,000 Indians evacuated from Iran
A total of 1,043 Indian nationals, including 717 students, have crossed out of Iran with the assistance of the mission in Tehran, the Ministry of External Affairs said this week.
At an inter-ministerial briefing on the West Asia situation, Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), MEA, also said the overall flight situation continues to improve, and that around 4.26 lakh passengers have returned from the region to India since February 28.
“During this period, a total of 2,149 flights, including scheduled and non-scheduled flights of Indian as well as foreign carriers, have operated from the region to India,” he said.
The MEA said it continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Gulf and the West Asia region. “We are also facilitating travel of Indian nationals from Israel via Jordan to India. In view of the flight restrictions from Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq, we continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals via Saudi Arabia,” Mahajan said.
Prioritizing the safety of its citizens during the West Asia conflict, India has evacuated over 3,75,000 of its nationals so far.
