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Thu, Dec 19, 2024 | Jumada al-Aakhirah 18, 1446 | DXB
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Countries evacuate citizens as Israel-Hamas war rages
Several countries have launched operations to repatriate their citizens, while others plan to do so in the coming days
Passengers arrive after landing with an evacuation flight from Tel Aviv (Israel) at the Airport in Schwechat near Vienna. — AFP
Thousands of foreigners are stuck in Israel and across the Palestinian territories, where a full-blown war has erupted since Hamas militants launched their attack.
With the violence having already claimed thousands of lives on both sides, several countries have launched operations to repatriate their citizens, while others plan to do so in the coming days.
Here is an overview of ongoing and planned evacuations, according to official sources.
Argentina, the Latin American country with the largest Jewish population, on Tuesday started evacuating more than 1,200 of its citizens from Israel.
Three air force flights a day will take the 1,246 Argentines who have asked to be evacuated to the Italian capital, Rome, Defence Minister Jorge Taiana said.
From there, state-owned airline Aerolineas Argentinas will fly them to Buenos Aires.
The Austrian government said it evacuated 176 people, including 139 of its own nationals, by air on Thursday. It follows 98 people repatriated on Wednesday, a group which comprised 83 Austrians and 15 others, including Dutch, German, Hungarian, Israeli, Spanish and United States citizens.
Another 70 people are expected to be evacuated Thursday evening, while a flight scheduled Friday has capacity for 176 people.
Brazil's government plans to mobilise at least six planes in a bid to rapidly repatriate any of its citizens who wish to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories.
It said about 14,000 Brazilians live in Israel and 6,000 in the Palestinian territories.
A first flight, carrying 211 Brazilians, returned before dawn on Wednesday. A second is due back in Brazil on Thursday.
Canada on Wednesday dispatched two army aircraft to cope with a "surge in demand" to fly about 700 Canadians home "in the coming days", said Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
More than 4,200 Canadian citizens are registered with Ottawa's consular services in Israel and another 470 in the Palestinian territories.
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The Danish government has organised an evacuation of its citizens in the "coming days".
Around 1,200 Danish nationals are in Israel and 90 in Palestinian territories.
Finland has vowed to evacuate its citizens from affected regions.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has announced a special Air France flight from Tel Aviv on Thursday to help repatriate any French nationals who have been unable to leave.
Four evacuation flights organised by the German government left Tel Aviv on Thursday. Around 950 Germans left the region by land and sea, as well as by air on Thursday, according to the foreign ministry in Berlin.
The evacuation flights will continue on Friday.
The first flight repatriating German nationals landed in Frankfurt on Thursday carrying 372 people.
"Around 4,500 German citizens" have registered on a list seeking help to return, a foreign ministry source said.
The foreign ministry said on Thursday that some 180 Greek nationals have been evacuated from Israel so far.
Hungarian officials said 65 of its nationals, including 18 minors were able to leave Israel by boat Thursday, bringing the total it has evacuated to 388.
The Icelandic government has repatriated 126 of its nationals, as well as five from the Faroe Islands, four Norwegians and 12 Germans.
Two military planes carrying 287 Mexicans repatriated from Israel and the Palestinian territories arrived in Mexico on Wednesday, the country's foreign minister said.
The government said that about 1,000 people had requested help to return to Mexico. It was unclear if it was organising more flights.
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According to official data, about 5,000 Mexicans reside in Israel, two in the Gaza Strip and 35 in the West Bank.
Nigeria has airlifted 310 of its citizens back home after they fled to Jordan from Israel, where they were on a Christian pilgrimage, the Lagos state government said.
Norway organised a flight on Wednesday evening for its citizens stuck in Israel and Palestinian territories. There are around 500 Norwegian nationals in the region.
Peru's President Dina Boluarte announced the country's presidential plane would be sent Friday to repatriate stranded citizens in Israel.
Her chief of staff Alberto Otarola said that between 60 and 70 Peruvians would board the aircraft, with those in the conflict zone prioritised.
Portugal repatriated 152 of its nationals on Wednesday morning, as well as 14 other Europeans, in a Portuguese military aircraft.
A flight on Thursday took another 22 people, eight Portuguese and 14 other people, out of Israel.
A flight carrying 192 South Korean citizens took off from Tel Aviv and landed near Seoul early on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said.
Another 30 South Korean nationals will be evacuated later in the week on commercial flights, it said. A further 27, who were in Israel on a Christian pilgrimage, will go by road to neighbouring Jordan.
Spain organised a flight from Tel Aviv overnight on Tuesday-Wednesday with 209 people on board, 185 of them Spaniards and others from European nations and Latin America.
A second flight also arrived back carrying 220 passengers, including 149 Spanish nationals.
A flight evacuating Swedish nationals is due to leave Tel Aviv Thursday evening.
There are about 3,000 Swedes in Israel and 800 in the Palestinian territories.
Swiss International Air Lines have repatriated 435 Swiss nationals.
Two more flights are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Around 28,000 Swiss citizens and their families are officially registered as living in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Many of them wounded, 15 Thai nationals arrived in Bangkok on Thursday after leaving Israel.
Other flights are scheduled for Sunday and Wednesday.
More than 5,000 Thai nationals are seeking to return home from Israel, where about 30,000 citizens of the southeast Asian nation work and live.
Kyiv's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said on Wednesday that Ukraine has planned a first evacuation flight from Tel Aviv on Saturday and possibly a second on Sunday.
With flights to Ukraine halted because of the Russian invasion, the planes would probably go to neighbouring countries such as Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, he told Ukrainian television.
One thousand Ukrainian citizens have asked to be evacuated.
"There is a big problem with our citizens who are in the Gaza Strip" and number about 300, the ambassador said.
The authorities have "put together lists for the evacuation of approximately 160 people from the Gaza Strip -- and this number is constantly increasing -- to Egypt through Rafah, and then to third countries," he added.
The first flight evacuating British nationals left Israel on Thursday, with other flights planned for the rest of the week.
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