Portugal sends military plane to pick up citizens from Israel

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - A Portuguese military plane departed Monday afternoon on a rescue mission to pick up citizens in Israel, according to the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.

Shortly after the ministry released its statement, Portugal’s state airline TAP announced it would cancel all flights to and from Tel Aviv — its only destination in Israel.

It said any passengers with tickets through to the end of October can request a refund or reschedule their journeys.

The Foreign Ministry said the Portuguese Air Force Hercules C-130 should arrive in Tel Aviv by Monday night.

It is ready to pick up at least 80 nationals, including tourists and residents in Israel, who have contacted the Consular Emergency Office to request support in fleeing the country.

Around 60,000 Israelis had Portuguese citizenship in 2022. Many of those passports were obtained after Lisbon started granting citizenship to people whose Jewish ancestors were expelled from Portugal during the Inquisition.

On Monday, a march supporting Palestine has been organized in Lisbon. Organizers insist they have no affinity with Hamas but recognize “the right of the Palestinian people to resist colonial occupation.”

This weekend, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the "terrorist attacks against Israel are unacceptable and deserve our strongest condemnation."

Gaza-based resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 560, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday amid ongoing fighting. It also said the number of injured surged to 2,900.

The Interior Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli army has "intensified its aggression" on Gaza with hundreds of raids.

The Israeli army said it had struck over 500 targets in overnight raids on Gaza, which they claimed were targets belonging to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.

At least 800 Israelis have been killed and over 2,616 others wounded in the fighting, according to local media.