Repatriation flights out of Israel to the UK will begin TODAY, government announces, following pleas for help by stranded citizens
The government has organized repatriation flights out of Israel, the first departing from Tel Aviv tonight, following pleas for help from stranded citizens.
More flights are planned in the coming days, but the Foreign Office has warned that this could change if the violence escalates.
It comes as MailOnline spoke to Britons who were “furious” at the Foreign Office for leaving them stranded in Israel for so long after the conflict began on Saturday.
This was it although several nations, including Bulgaria, Spain, Poland and: Thailandalready sending planes to Israel to collect their citizens and ensure they are away from the war.
To date, the only message sent to UK citizens has been a mass message asking people to register with them.
Several other countries have already expelled their citizens from Israel since the Hamas attack on Saturday
Several British nationals have revealed how tense it is in Israel upon arrival in the UK
Foreign Secretary James Clearley said the UK was “working around the clock” to bring Britons home.
Making the announcement today, Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said in an X (formerly Twitter) post: “The UK is working around the clock to ensure that Britons can leave Israel.
“That’s why we’ve organized a UK-sponsored flight for vulnerable Britons.
“It is absolutely essential that if you are in Israel and want to leave, you register your presence.”
Those classified as vulnerable should be prioritized, with the FCDO adding that it will reach out directly to people six days after the bloodiest conflict between Israel and Palestine in decades.
It advised that Britons should not travel to airports unless they have been called directly.
The flights will cost around £300 per person, which will cover the operating costs of the flights, it has been revealed.
Israel has no choice but to meet with force. The only democratic country in the Middle East has every right to defend itself (Image: Gaza Sunday)
Palestinians inspect the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes at a beach refugee camp in Gaza City on October 9 following a surprise attack by Hamas.
P:Hilip Horesh, a London Jew on holiday in Israel, said that despite the UK government’s need for help, no one came forward for him and his wife. “(FCDO) were useless. No communication other than the usual announcements, no help getting home.”
He said he was forced to spend around £1,400 on flights from Tel Aviv to Gatwick with an overnight stopover in Izmir, Turkey.
In addition to flights, he had to pay for last-minute hotels and taxis to get around Tel Aviv and Izmir.
“(We) feel much safer and relieved, but we feel bad about leaving when the country needs as much help as it can get. More sirens went off in Tel Aviv and at the airport on Tuesday, we’re worried about those still there are”.
“The (FCDO) should proactively contact British nationals who have registered to say they are in Israel and offer them assistance to leave if they are blocked.”
Philip’s wife, Helena, said: “The biggest stress is finding the way home.
“The Israeli staff at our hotel were so supportive and kind. we were too emotional leaving them knowing the worst was probably yet to come.
“We look forward to being home with our family again.”
Several airlines, including British Airways, easyJet and Wizz Air, have suspended commercial flights to Israel, where 60,000 British nationals are currently known to be.
A scene shows the ruins of a Palestinian house struck by Israel at the al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza City on Tuesday.
B:Commercial flights back to the UK are incredibly difficult.
While the airspace above the Israeli and Palestinian territories is not officially closed, Airlines around the world have decided to ground their flights from Israel en masse due to security concerns.
The security situation in Israel is so serious that a A British Airways flight from London to Israel was forced to turn back just minutes before arriving in Tel Aviv..
Flight BA165 had almost reached the city when it was forced to divert to London Heathrow amid a new wave of Hamas rocket attacks.
Meanwhile, several Brits have revealed how tense things are in Israel today after returning to the UK.
Isaac Lowry, 17, from Hackney, east London, had traveled to Israel for Sukkot, the Jewish holiday celebrating the autumn harvest.
The teenager’s parents are returning to the UK on another flight. He said. “The situation is getting worse.
– The airport was very full. I had a canceled flight. I waited 16 hours to get my flight here today,” he added as he returned to Luton Airport.
‘When I was there, there were rockets. We had to go to bomb shelters. It was quite scary.
A Palestinian man runs past the rubble of an Israeli military attack on Gaza City, carrying a child in his arms on Thursday.
A Palestinian screams with a child outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday
Palestinian children injured by Israeli strikes were taken to Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday
“I feel safe to return to Great Britain. It is the first time that I feel war.”
Jacob Lustbader, 26, who was studying to become a rabbi in Jerusalem, will stay with a friend in Manchester until he can fly home to New York.
He said. “We have had rockets fall in Jerusalem, but none of them fell in civilian areas.
“There were sirens and we took cover. I am experiencing it for the first time. It is a very tense environment there at the moment.
“Every Israeli knows that there are civilians in Gaza who have been brainwashed by Hamas, but when you democratically elect a terrorist group, you have no choice but to use violence against it.”