Canberra, (Asian independent) The Australian government has been working to repatriate Australian citizens stranded in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday said that an extraordinary logistical exercise is underway to get 1,600 Australians in the region who have registered for government-assisted repatriation, Xinhua news agency reported.
The government has organised two free flights operated by the country’s flag carrier Qantas from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, the first of which will depart on Friday with more than 200 passengers on board, and has chartered a third flight.
Of the 1,600 Australians who have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for assisted departure from the region, Albanese told state media the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that 19 are located in Gaza.
He said that the government was in conversation with the government of Egypt to get a family of four South Australians out of Gaza through its southern border.
