Poland evacuates its citizens from Israel by military aircraft

Poland will send military aircraft to Israel to evacuate its citizens from the country, where armed conflict is going on for the second day after a sudden attack on the country by the Palestinian group Hamas. This was announced by the President of the Republic Andrzej Duda.

“We are sending Air Force transport planes to evacuate Poles currently in Israel. Our special forces soldiers will ensure the protection and safety of loading on board,” Duda wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak clarified that Warsaw is sending two C-130 Hercules aircraft to Israel to evacuate about 200 Poles from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. If necessary, the number of such ships will be increased; the Poles can also be taken to Greece and then delivered home on Casa transport planes, writes Reuters. Negotiations regarding the creation of an “evacuation bridge” with Greece are currently underway, Blaszczak said at a press conference.

“We can expect these planes to take off at any moment, arrive at their destination and pick up Polish tourists waiting at the airport,” he added.

According to Reuters, the Polish state airline LOT has canceled flights to Israel. Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) previously stated about the cancellation and delay of dozens of flights to Israel and back.

On the morning of October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas began shelling the country from the Gaza Strip under its control, calling it the military operation “Al-Aqsa Flood”. As a result of the hostilities, according to official data, more than 600 Israelis were killed and over 2,000 were injured. Mass abductions of Israelis and guests of the country were reported by the group.

Israel responded by launching Operation Iron Swords. On the night of October 8, the country’s Defense Army attacked ten targets of the Palestinian group, including the movement’s intelligence headquarters. Later, the authorities officially announced that the country had entered a state of war, and the IDF on the same day announced the evacuation of all residents on the border with Gaza to a depth of at least 4 km within 24 hours before the start of a ground military operation.