India has established a 24-hour ‘Control Room’ in New Delhi to "monitor the situation and provide information and assistance" in view of developments in Israel and Palestine, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
"In addition, the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv has set up a 24-hour emergency helpline," the MEA said.
The Indian Representative Office in Ramallah, West Bank, has also set-up a 24-hour “emergency helpline” for Indians in Palestine.
According to official estimates, there are about 15,000 Indian citizens in Israel. Most of them are “employed by Israeli elders to take care of them, diamond traders, IT professionals and students”, according to an official brief on India-Israel ties.
According to official estimates, there are about 15,000 Indian citizens in Israel. Most of them are “employed by Israeli elders to take care of them, diamond traders, IT professionals and students”, according to an official brief on India-Israel ties.
There are no recent estimates of Indian nationals living in Palestinian territories of West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Indian Embassy in Israel Working Round-the-Clock, Envoy Says
Meanwhile, India’s Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla has said in a video message posted on social media platform X that New Delhi’s mission in Tel Aviv was working round-the-clock to assure “safety and welfare” of Indians in the country.
“All of us are going through very difficult times but do remain calm and vigilant and follow the local security guidelines. We are here to help you. And we thank many of you for sending so many messages of appreciation to us,” the Indian Ambassador stated.
The envoy said that the Indian embassy was monitoring the situation "closely".
The escalation in hostilities between Hamas and Israel started over weekend after the Palestinian fighter group launched a deadly missile and land-based attack against Israeli cities from the Gaza Strip over weekend.
According to the latest update by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) on Wednesday morning, over 1,200 Israeli nationals have been killed in the attack, though authorities have warned that the death toll was likely to increase in coming days.
IDF’s retaliation against Hamas in Gaza has so far claimed over 900 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has also claimed that most of the dead are civilians.