Commercial airlines join evacuation mission from Israel
The government has coordinated with private airlines to procure four more planes for the evacuation of more 5,000 Thais from Israel, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Wednesday.
Some 30,000 Thais are reportedly residing in Israel which is currently at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas following a surprise missile strike on towns near the Gaza Strip on October 7.
According to the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv, more than 5,000 Thais in Israel have expressed interest in returning home.
Srettha said the plane carrying the first batch of Thai nationals would leave Israel early on Thursday morning. The latest update from the embassy indicated that 15 Thais, four of them injured, will be on board. The flight is scheduled to land in Thailand around 11.22am.
The PM said that as Israel has closed several roads in the country, travel to the embassy will be by military vehicles provided by the Israeli army. The chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, General Songwit Noonpakdee, has been tasked with coordinating with local authorities to aid the evacuation of Thais, he added.
Srettha said that with the war intensifying, the government’s priority is to evacuate Thais from the conflict zones as soon as possible.
“So far 20 Thais have lost their lives in the situation, and I hope that this number will be final,” said Srettha. “However, we cannot guarantee anything as the battle is becoming fiercer. The government is doing what it can to evacuate Thais as fast as possible.”
The PM thanked private parties for their cooperation in the evacuation mission, adding that AirAsia and Nok Airlines have agreed to each provide two planes to bring Thais back home, while national carrier Thai Airways International is also considering providing planes.
Four planes belonging to private airlines will join the five deployed by the government for the evacuation mission, Srettha said, adding that the fuel expenses of commercial flights “will not be an issue”.
Srettha said he hoped to receive full cooperation and assistance from the Israeli government as Thailand was among the countries to have sustained the most civilian casualties in the conflict.
