Poland sends aircraft to evacuate citizens from Israel

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Poland has moved quickly to ensure the safety of its citizens in response to the escalating situation between Israel and Palestine.

President Andrzej Duda announced on social media Sunday that transport aircraft would be deployed for the evacuation of Polish nationals in Israel.

Duda emphasized the importance of bringing all Poles back home safely.

"We are taking proactive measures to ensure the well-being of our citizens,” he said.

He added that Polish Special Forces will be present on the aircraft to guarantee security during the evacuation.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak echoed this sentiment, announcing that "our armed forces are prepared to evacuate Polish nationals from Israel.”

“C-130 Hercules transport aircraft will be dispatched to bring our citizens back to Poland,” he said.

The decision to evacuate Polish citizens from Israel comes as the security situation in the region deteriorates, leading to concerns about the safety of foreign nationals.

Poland's national airline LOT has also responded to the situation by canceling its planned flights to Tel Aviv for today, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

Meanwhile, several major airlines have canceled flights to Tel Aviv.

Among the carriers discontinuing their flights are American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair and Aegean Airlines.

Air France has announced the suspension of its Tel Aviv flights "until further notice."

Transavia, the low-cost carrier under the Air France-KLM group, has also called off a flight from Paris to Tel Aviv for this evening.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

The Israeli army in turn initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Around 750 Israelis have been missing since fighting broke out on Saturday morning, local media reported early Sunday.

At least 313 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 2,000 others injured in the attacks, according to medical sources in Gaza.

More than 3,000 rockets have been launched by Hamas toward Israel since early Saturday, according to the Israeli army.