Australians stranded in Israel will be able to take repatriation flights home from as early as tomorrow following the declaration of war against Hamas and the launch of a massive military offensive in Gaza which has heightened tensions across the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the government has arranged assisted departure flights from Friday (October 13). “My government will begin the assisted departure of Australians who want to leave Israel. We are assessing all options to get Australians home as soon as possible for those who wish to travel back here.”
Mr. Albanese said there will be two initial flights, with additional options to come. He explained the government-backed flights were needed because “many Australians are experiencing difficulties with delays and mass cancellations of commercial flights out of Israel.”
The repatriation flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to London will operate free of charge for Australians, who do not already have plans to leave through commercial options, with Qantas to absorb the operational costs. Details of the flights are still being finalised. Qantas expects to operate Boeing 787 Dreamliners which can seat 236 passengers.
The airline said: “Arrangements for onward flights for those wanting to travel back to Australia are still being worked through.” Up to 12,000 Australians are currently believed to be in Israel. Nearly all of them live there.
More than 1,200 people in Israel have been killed since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Saturday (October 7) and is still firing rockets into the Jewish state. The current state of war has forced many popular tourist sites to close.
An Australian grandmother has been confirmed as one of the casualties. 66-year-old Sydney-born Galit Carbone died when Hamas fighters attacked her community 5-kilometres from Gaza. She was among 100 people killed in the Be’eri kibbutz where she worked as a librarian.
Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes in southern Israel as the Gaza military operation intensifies and rockets continue to be fired into the region. Gaza’s only power station has run out of fuel after Israel cut off supplies as well as electricity, gas, water, food and most medicine. The offensive has displaced more than 250,000 Palestinians.
As of Wednesday evening the war had claimed at least 2,200 lives on both sides— and perhaps many hundreds more. 1,200 lives have been lost in Israel including 189 soldiers and 41 police officers. More than 1,100 are confirmed to have died in Gaza. Israel’s military claims 1,500 Hamas militants have been killed inside the Jewish state, but it’s unclear whether those numbers overlap with previously reported casualties. Around two dozen Palestinians have died in Judea and Samaria, widely known as the West Bank.
Foreign nationals from at least 16 countries are among the dead or missing in Israel. 22 Americans, 12 Thais and 10 Nepalese have reportedly been killed. 17 Britons and 14 French nationals are either dead or unaccounted for, along with numerous other Europeans and Latin Americans.
Israel reports that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are also holding more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage. They include women, children, the elderly and foreign nationals. Their captors are threatening to kill at least one for every airstrike without warning.
