Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) A charter flight to evacuate Taiwanese citizens is scheduled to depart from Tel Aviv on Oct. 20, arriving in Italy on the same day, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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 the Rome-Fiumicino International Airport, the ministry said Thursday in a press release.
Due to rapidly changing circumstances, the ministry said it is urging Taiwanese nationals in Israel to use this flight for a timely departure.
The ministry encouraged local Taiwanese who have not registered for the flight to promptly contact the representative office in Tel Aviv to do so.
After evaluating the demand from local Taiwanese, if there are vacant seats and with a humanitarian focus, embassy personnel, and nationals from countries friendly to Taiwan may also be considered for accommodation, the statement said.
Since the launch of an attack on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, MOFA and the representative office in Israel have been actively assisting Taiwanese citizens in leaving the country by air and land, according to the release.
To date, they have successfully aided 157 Taiwanese citizens in safely departing Israel, it said, adding the representative office remains in close contact with Taiwanese in Israel, ready to provide necessary assistance.
According to a United Nations press release from Oct. 18, authorities in Israel have confirmed that 1,300 people have been killed and more than 4,200 injured.
Meanwhile, the U.N. said that more than 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with over 12,500 injured and hundreds unaccounted for.