International Governments Evacuate Citizens From Israel After Hamas Attack

Several international governments have begun providing evacuation flights out of Israel over concerns about their citizens’ safety after the militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Oct. 7.

Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland are among the countries that have sent military and state aircraft to Tel Aviv to rescue nationals.

At the same time, Israel has been chartering aircraft to repatriate citizens and dual nationals to enroll into the armed forces after the Israeli government called up its reservist forces to enlist in response to the conflict.

The Israeli military has been mobilizing some 300,000 reserve personnel ahead of a planned operation that includes what Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described as a “full siege” of the Gaza Strip, in a bid to destroy Hamas’ military capability.

The Israeli Air Force has been conducting air strikes using fighters and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) on targets in Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu responded to the attacks by declaring a state of war.

Hundreds of Hamas fighters crossed Israeli security fences using paragliders while others used construction vehicles to break through security fences and barriers before attacking settlements and military facilities.

This was preceded by a rocket barrage that Hamas said involved some 5,000 rockets, although the Israeli Defense Force said it numbered around 2,200.  

Since that first barrage, Hamas has launched several other rocket attacks using longer-range rockets against Tel Aviv and the Ben Gurion International Airport, impeding the evacuation flights.

As well as sending forces to the country’s south, the Israeli military has also been reinforcing the north, fearing similar infiltration and rocket attacks from the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.

Hamas launched the surprise attack a day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, which began with a surprise assault by an Arab coalition that included Egypt, Jordan and Syria.  

In recent years, flare-ups between Israel and Hamas had been limited to border skirmishes and salvos of unguided rockets launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.  

But the latest operation was more ambitious, with dozens of Israeli towns on the southern border infiltrated by Hamas fighters in the opening hours of the assault.