A third military plane activated at the request of the Foreign Ministry, with the coordination of the Ministry of Defence, to bring back to Italy the Italian nationals who wanted to leave Israel, will land at Pratica di Mare at 6 pm today. Two other military planes landed this morning.
From the outset the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has carefully monitored the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories and has immediately established a contact network with compatriots in the country, in close connection with the Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem.
The uncertainty over the scheduling of commercial flights, combined with the increasingly frequent cancellations in recent hours, has made it necessary to plan alternative solutions, both on the commercial and military channels.
For the 10 and 11 October, four flights were therefore organised, two through the commercial carrier NEOS, at discounted fares, and, as soon as the possibility materialised, also two flights coordinated by the Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Unit in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence.
These flights will make it possible to bring back numerous groups of compatriots in difficulty, including many pilgrims, who had no alternatives for return.
The Crisis Unit, in coordination with the Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem (also present with a specially organised desk at Ben Gurion Airport), remains fully operational.
