Australians Arrive in Dubai on Flights from Israel Amid Ongoing Gaza Relief Efforts

255 Australian nationals, following repatriation charter flights from Israel, have landed in Dubai en route to Australia amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict uncertainty.

Penny Wong, Australia's foreign affairs minister, affirmed that the government had successfully secured flights to Australia via Dubai, and further, the government was in the process of planning two additional flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai scheduled for Monday.

The 255 passengers journeyed on three charter flights departing from Tel Aviv, consisting of two RAAF planes and one privately contracted flight. The first government-chartered flight took off from Tel Aviv at 1.30 pm local time on Sunday (9.30 pm AEDT), heading towards Dubai.

Wong confirmed the existence of two more flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai, with the first set to depart from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport at 10 am local time on Monday, contingent on various factors, including the security situation.

Penny Wong disclosed that since the commencement of the conflict, approximately 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 difficulty in reaching rescue buses bound for Jordan.

Wong emphasized the importance of exploring all available options for departure, stating, [This] may be our last opportunity to conduct an assisted departure flight for the foreseeable future,” while cautioning that the security situation remains uncertain.

Two prearranged evacuation flights for stranded Australians in Israel were canceled on Saturday due to growing concerns of escalating violence in the region. Wong revealed that some individuals had opted to cancel their flights at the last minute on the preceding day.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Wong indicated that, contingent on various factors, including security conditions, the government was in the process of planning two flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai on Monday.

Wong underlined the rapidly evolving and highly challenging nature of the situation, urging individuals to consider that these "might be our last flights for the foreseeable future."

Clare O'Neil, the home affairs minister, provided insight into the demographics of the 255 individuals on the repatriation flights, stating that the majority were Australian citizens, along with non-citizen family members.

O'Neil underscored the worsening situation and advised those with an opportunity to leave to seize it without delay, emphasizing that waiting for another chance was not advisable.

Similar endeavors have been initiated to evacuate Australian citizens from Gaza amidst an "extremely distressing situation." However, these efforts have not yet yielded success, according to Wong. She noted 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 present in the West Bank, although the ABC reported that 19 individuals in Gaza were registered with the department to depart.

Given the absence of an airport in the West Bank, Dfat organized transportation via buses to convey Australian citizens from Ramallah to Jordan, as there were concerns about the ability of dual nationals to access flights from Israel's Ben Gurion airport.

Nevertheless, a Palestinian Australian family located in the West Bank conveyed their struggles in reaching Ramallah to board the government-arranged buses. In some instances, Australians who had registered for assistance to depart received only about 12 hours' notice before the scheduled bus departure, as per the family's account. Moreover, they asserted that Dfat had not provided them with official documents to facilitate their passage through various checkpoints on the route to Ramallah.

In response, Dfat acknowledged the prevailing challenges of movement in the current circumstances, while assuring Australians in the West Bank via email that they understood the difficulties.

Another bus was slated to leave Ramallah for Jordan on Tuesday morning, but Dfat cautioned that the security situation remained fluid, potentially leading to cancellations or alterations with minimal notice.

A Dfat spokesperson acknowledged the highly fluid and challenging situation, affirming the Australian government's commitment to facilitating the departure of those who wish to leave as expeditiously as possible.

Source: theguardian.com