Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister, said the government had successfully secured flights to Australia via Dubai and, in addition, the government was planning two additional flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai scheduled for Monday.
The 255 passengers traveled on three charter flights from Tel Aviv, consisting of two RAAF planes and a private flight. The first government-chartered flight departed from Tel Aviv at 1:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. AEDT) on Sunday, heading for Dubai.
Wong confirmed two additional flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai, with the first scheduled to depart from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Monday at 10 a.m. local time, depending on various factors, including the security situation. .
Penny Wong revealed that since the start of the conflict, around 1,200 Australian citizens had received assistance from the Australian government to leave Israel. Despite concerted efforts to facilitate the departure of Palestinian Australians from Gaza, some have reported difficulties reaching relief buses bound for Jordan.
Wong stressed the importance of exploring all available options for departure, saying: “This may be our last opportunity to conduct a supported departure flight in the near future,” while warning that the security situation remains uncertain.
Two pre-planned evacuation flights for Australians stranded in Israel were canceled on Saturday amid growing concerns about escalating violence in the region. Wong revealed that some people chose to cancel their flights at the last minute the day before.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Wong said that, depending on various factors, including security conditions, the government was planning two flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai on Monday.
Wong stressed the evolving and very difficult nature of the situation, urging individuals to consider that these flights “could be our last flights for the foreseeable future.”
Clare O’Neil, the Home Affairs Minister, gave an overview of the demographics of the 255 people on board the repatriation flights, saying the majority were Australian citizens, as well as their non-citizen family members.
O’Neil highlighted the deteriorating situation and advised those who have an opportunity to leave to take it without delay, emphasizing that it is not advisable to wait for another chance.
Similar efforts were launched to evacuate Australian citizens from Gaza in an “extremely distressing situation”. However, these efforts have not yet borne fruit, according to Wong. She highlighted ongoing diplomatic engagements with the United States, Israel and Egypt to facilitate the passage of Australians out of Gaza.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) did not provide an exact count of Australians currently in the West Bank, although the ABC reported that 19 people in Gaza were registered with the department to leave.
Given the lack of an airport in the West Bank, Dfat arranged bus transport to transport Australian citizens from Ramallah to Jordan, as there were concerns about the ability of dual nationals to access flights from Israeli Ben Gurion Airport.
However, an Australian Palestinian family living in the West Bank reported difficulties reaching Ramallah to board government-organized buses. In some cases, Australians who had signed up for departure assistance only received about 12 hours’ notice before the bus was scheduled to depart, according to the family’s account. Furthermore, they claimed that Dfat had not provided them with official documents to facilitate their passage through the various checkpoints on the road to Ramallah.
In response, Dfat acknowledged the difficulties faced by travel in the current circumstances, while assuring Australians in the West Bank via email that they understood these difficulties.
Another bus was due to leave Ramallah for Jordan on Tuesday morning, but Dfat warned that the security situation remained fluid, which could lead to cancellations or changes with minimal notice.
A Dfat spokesperson acknowledged the situation was very fluid and difficult, affirming the Australian government’s commitment to facilitating the departure of those who wish to leave as quickly as possible.
Source: theguardian.com