A fourth defense plane carrying Dutch nationals from Israel landed at Eindhoven air base just before half past ten on Saturday evening. There were 102 Dutch people and six people from other countries on board the fourth repatriation flight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The third plane landed on Saturday morning with 110 Dutch people on board.
The repatriation flights have been taking place since Thursday due to the war that has broken out between Israel and Hamas. A flight is also planned for Sunday. It goes from Cologne to Israel and lands again in the German city. From there, buses are then deployed to Eindhoven.
A total of almost seven hundred people have now been repatriated through the Netherlands. There are still Dutch people who register for repatriation, but that number is rapidly decreasing, according to the ministry. “The government has always said that we will continue to fly as long as necessary and the safety situation allows it.” It will be decided during Sunday whether another flight is necessary and whether it can be done safely.
At least nine Dutch people in custody
Not only are Dutch people stranded in Israel, at least nine Dutch people are also stuck in the Gaza Strip. They are part of two families with whom the Dutch Representation in the Palestinian Territories is in contact.
The ministry says it is doing everything it can to help the Dutch leave Gaza, but also says that it is not possible to leave the Gaza Strip at the moment. “The borders are closed, also for people with a different nationality. The travel advice for Gaza has been red for some time.” “The poor conditions in Gaza” also make contact difficult.
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