Staff writer, with CNA
A charter flight to evacuate Taiwanese is scheduled to depart from Tel Aviv, Israel, today and arrive in Italy later in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Following a thorough assessment, the ministry directed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv to arrange an evacuation flight from Ben Gurion International Airport to Fiumicino International Airport in Rome, the ministry said in a news release.
Due to rapidly changing circumstances, the ministry said it is urging Taiwanese in Israel to use the flight for a timely departure.
Photo:AFP
The ministry encouraged local Taiwanese who have not registered for the flight to promptly contact the representative office in Tel Aviv by calling 0544-275-204.
If there are spare seats, people with a humanitarian focus, embassy personnel and nationals from countries friendly to Taiwan might also be considered, the statement said.
Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the ministry and the representative office in Israel have been assisting Taiwanese to leave the country by air and land, the release said.
It had helped 157 Taiwanese depart Israel ahead of today’s flight, it said, adding that the office remains in close contact with Taiwanese in Israel, ready to provide assistance.
According to a UN news release on Wednesday, authorities in Israel have confirmed that 1,300 people have been killed and more than 4,200 have been injured.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with more than 12,500 injured and hundreds unaccounted for, the UN said.
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