Around 4,500 Germans want to get out of Israel – and are waiting for a flight. According to Defense Minister Pistorius, the Bundeswehr could help Pistorius leave the country, but the organization is the responsibility of the Foreign Office. Lufthansa wants to offer special flights.
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the Bundeswehr is prepared to take part in the evacuation of people from Israel. “We are always ready to do what needs to be done,” he said in Berlin. The organization of the evacuations is in the hands of the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office announced yesterday that Lufthansa would operate special flights to evacuate Germans from Israel this Thursday and Friday. There should be four flights per day. The crisis reaction center of the German Foreign Ministry had previously negotiated under high pressure with airlines to expand flight capacities.
Embassy requests that you also book flights with stopovers
The Foreign Office also said that the final technical details were being clarified at the moment. The ministry wants to inform German nationals registered in the “Elefand” crisis preparedness list today how they can book tickets for the special flights with Lufthansa. German citizens who are not yet registered and want to leave the country should immediately add themselves to the list, it said.
The German embassy in Tel Aviv also asked Germans who wanted to leave the country to book flights with stopovers in Cyprus or Turkey, for example. The embassy also pointed out that the Israeli airline El Al is continually expanding its offerings. Those affected should regularly check the airlines’ offers. The embassy is also checking whether there is regular ferry traffic to European Mediterranean ports.
Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, numerous German citizens have been waiting there to leave the country. It involves around 4,500 people, including many school classes and youth groups.
Air traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is currently significantly restricted. According to the airport’s website, around half of the outgoing flights were canceled in the morning.
Cyprus becomes the hub for evacuations
The EU island republic of Cyprus has made its airports available for the evacuations of people from Israel. The management of the island’s largest airport in the port city of Larnaca announced that 30 flights to and from Israel were planned for Tuesday alone, the news portal of the newspaper “Philenews” reported. The airport in Paphos in the west of the island can also be used.
After their arrival, people would receive medical care if necessary and be accommodated in hotels. They then traveled on to their countries of origin, the Cypriot radio reported.
Numerous countries want to allow citizens to leave the country
The Scandinavian countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden also want to bring in compatriots from Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Danish Foreign Ministry said it was working on organizing special flights to fly out Danish citizens and citizens with permanent residence in Denmark at their own expense. According to the ministry, around 1,200 people in Israel and 90 in the Palestinian territories are currently registered on the so-called Danish list.
Norway wants to organize a special flight in cooperation with the Norwegian airline that will set off from Tel Aviv to Oslo in the evening. Sweden also wants to bring citizens from Israel and the Palestinian territories. Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in a written comment to the TT news agency that a decision was made during the night to carry out a supported exit in cooperation with other countries. The ministry estimates that there are 3,000 people with ties to Sweden in Israel and around 800 in the Palestinian territories. It is still unclear when exactly the flights will take place.
Austria and Spain bet Military transport a
Austria and Spain had already announced that they would fly their compatriots out in military transport in the coming days. The Greek Foreign Ministry also announced that it wanted to fly 149 tourists out of Israel.
Austria wants to send a transport plane from the Federal Army today to bring back its citizens. The C-130 “Hercules” aircraft will commute four times between Israel and Cyprus in the coming days, an army spokesman said. From Cyprus, Austrians should take scheduled flights to their homeland.
The Polish Air Force will also send several transport aircraft to Israel, wrote President Andrzej Duda on Sunday on the X platform, formerly Twitter. “Soldiers from our special forces will ensure protection during boarding and safety on board.”