Thiruvananthapuram: Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedhran has said that Indian citizens in Israel can contact the Indian embassy for any help. He appealed to the Indians in Israel to remain in safe shelters and follow the advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
“Only the people in Israel know their issues. So, Indian Embassy personnel are all ears to help them,” said Muraleedharan.
The advisory was issued in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. asking the Indian citizens to exercise extreme caution in Israel. Those who need help in any emergency situation are requested to contact the Indian Embassy helpline number +97235226748 or leave a message at cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in.
Nearly 18,000 Indians in Israel
The embassy has also released a detailed brochure regarding the preparations in case of missile strikes.
According to the details on the website of the Indian Embassy here, there are about 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, primarily caregivers employed by Israeli elders, diamond traders, IT professionals and students. There are approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel too that were part of the main waves of immigration into Israel from India in the fifties and sixties.
Minister V Muraleedharan pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with Israel after Palestine based militant group launched a surprise attack killing nearly 200 people and injuring over 1,100 people in Israel.
Indian Embassy in Palestine issues advisory
Like Israel, the Indian embassy in Palestine also issued an advisory to the Indian nationals. In Ramallah, the Representative Office of India in Palestine posted a public notice on X late on Saturday night: In light of the prevailing security situation, Indian nationals in Palestine can directly contact the Representative Office of India to address any case of emergency or needed assistance on the 24-hours Emergency Helpline.
(With PTI inputs)
