Countries evacuate citizens as Israel-Hamas war rages

By 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 -

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.

- Austria -

The Austrian government said it repatriated 98 people late on Wednesday. The group comprised 83 Austrians and 15 others, including Dutch, German, Hungarian, Israeli, Spanish and United States citizens.

- Brazil -

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 -

Canada on Wednesday dispatched two army aircraft to cope with a "surge in demand" to fly 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.

- France -

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.

- Germany -

Germany said it was working with Lufthansa to organise "several special flights" on Thursday and Friday to repatriate German citizens.

"Around 4,500 German citizens" have registered on a list seeking help to return, a foreign ministry source said.

- Greece -

The foreign ministry said on Thursday that some 180 Greek nationals have been evacuated from Israel so far.

- Iceland -

The Icelandic government announced it would send a plane to repatriate around 120 of its nationals stuck in Israel.

- Mexico -

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.

According to official data, about 5,000 Mexicans reside in Israel, two in the Gaza Strip and 35 in the West Bank.

- Nigeria -

Nigeria has airlifted more than 300 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 -

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.

- Portugal -

Portugal repatriated 152 of its nationals on Wednesday morning, as well as 14 other Europeans, in a Portuguese military aircraft.

- South Korea -

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 -

Spain organised a flight from Tel Aviv overnight on Tuesday-Wednesday with 209 people on board, 185 Spaniards and others from European nations and Latin America.

A second flight took off from Tel Aviv in the afternoon carrying 220 passengers, including 149 Spanish nationals.

- Switzerland -

Swiss International Air Lines repatriated 220 Swiss nationals on Tuesday.

A second special flight with a capacity of 215 seats was planned for Wednesday.

A third flight was scheduled for Thursday, also with a capacity of 215 seats.

Around 28,000 Swiss citizens and their families are officially registered as living in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

- Ukraine -

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 Ukrainians citizens have asked for evacuation.

"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.