Cyprus Offers Transit for Foreign Evacuees from Israel
Palestinians walk past a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City's al-Rimal district, early on October 10, 2023. Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
- By Agence France-Presse (AFP)
- October 10, 2023 4:10 PM
Nicosia, Cyprus — Cyprus offered its services Tuesday as a safe transfer hub for evacuations of foreign nationals from nearby Israel after the shock weekend attack by Hamas militants.
The island's government "intends to offer facilities for the repatriation of foreign nationals from Israel through Cyprus", the foreign ministry said.
European Union member Cyprus has facilitated mass evacuations of foreigners from Lebanon and Sudan in the past.
In 2006, the Mediterranean island welcomed tens of thousands of foreigners evacuated from Lebanon during that year's devastating war between Israel and Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
In April and May this year, after fierce fighting erupted between rival security forces in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Cyprus acted as a hub for the evacuation of 2,611 foreign nationals in an 11-day airlift.
Israel is reeling under a deadly attack by Hamas militants who stormed the border under a barrage of rocket fire on Saturday morning and killed more than 900 people inside Israel.
The Israeli army said it was the single deadliest event in the nation's history, and it has responded by bombarding Gaza and ordering a "complete siege" of its 2.3 million residents.
Gaza officials have reported 687 people killed in the Israeli reprisals.
Cypriot Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said Monday that it was vital for the island to maintain "connectivity" with Israel as the conflict unfolds.
The island lies just 250 kilometres (155 miles) away.
© Agence France-Presse
