According to the Foreign Office, around 950 Germans have been flown out of Israel so far. The federal government is currently negotiating additional flights at the weekend because there are still more than 4,000 people on the waiting list.
According to the Foreign Office, 950 Germans have so far left the attacked country on special flights and ferry connections organized by the federal government following Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. Four more flights are planned for today.
Condor flights on weekends
In addition, the federal government is negotiating with Lufthansa about additional special flights from Israel on Saturday or Sunday. It is also already clear that Condor will offer two special flights from Jordan on Sunday. The fee of 300 euros per seat on the Lufthansa special flights will continue to be charged. The Foreign Office adds an additional 350 euros per person from its own budget.
A spokesman said there are currently still 4,500 people registered on the Foreign Office’s “elephant” list. German nationals would continue to be informed about additional exit options via the ministry’s crisis preparedness list.
Bundeswehr on standby
In addition, the Bundeswehr, in coordination with the Foreign Office, is preparing to fly German citizens out of Israel if necessary. The Ministry of Defense said that preventive preparations should ensure that the federal government has made all the necessary logistical arrangements for rapid pickup by the Air Force in the event of a failure in civil flight operations from Israel. “In the event of a further deterioration of the situation, the Bundeswehr’s military evacuation unit would be ready.”
criticism of Crisis management the Federal Government
There was widespread criticism of the organization of the repatriations. Affected Germans reported that the hotlines used to book special flights were extremely overloaded. The ARD Studio Tel Aviv quotes a German woman who spent hours on the phone. “I tried it over 250 times,” she said.
The foreign policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Jürgen Hardt, also criticized the federal government. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock “tried to outsource the problem of leaving the country to Lufthansa with as little effort as possible. The result is ongoing chaos,” said Hardt. It is time for her to act and make the process a top priority.