Main image: Passengers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, as flights are canceled and delayed because of a massive surprise attack by Hamas, on October 7, 2023. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP)
As a result of Hamas attacks on Israel, dozens of foreigners have been killed or abducted. Several foreign countries have already evacuated their citizens from Israel, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel.
"In a combined attack by Hamas on Israel (October 7, 2023), foreign citizens have been killed and abducted, as reported on Monday, October 9th, by several foreign countries. Some countries are conducting the evacuation of their citizens from Israel," as stated in the message from the Ukrainian Embassy.
According to the embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand reported on Monday, October 9th, about the death of 12 citizens, 8 injuries, and 11 abductions. Many Thai workers are employed on farms in Otef-Aza, which is located near the border with Gaza, Israel. Approximately 4,500 Thai citizens are working in Israel, and an additional 265 students are studying there.
As emphasized in the embassy's statement, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal claims that 10 citizens have been killed by Hamas, with an unknown number of injuries, and at least one is considered missing. The foreign policy department mentioned that it is working on sending the bodies of the deceased back to their homeland."
According to the Ukrainian Embassy, 7 French citizens are considered missing. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France stated that a crisis group has been created to assist the French community in Israel, with more than 250 calls already received. Among the hostages are citizens of Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Argentina."
It is reported that on October 9th, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria have already evacuated hundreds of their citizens from Israel due to the ongoing conflict. Poland and Thailand are sending military aircraft to Ben-Gurion Airport for the evacuation of their citizens.
On the night of October 9th, Hungary evacuated 215 individuals from Israel on two planes, as announced by Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, on Monday. He reported that the two planes safely landed in Budapest and expressed gratitude to Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania for providing an airspace corridor.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania stated that 245 of its citizens were flown back from Israel on four planes: two operated by the national airline Tarom and two by private airlines.
Bulgaria transported 90 of its citizens from Tel Aviv to Sofia on a government plane, as reported by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
Earlier reports had mentioned the deaths of two Ukrainian citizens.
