A fourth miltray airplane with people returning from Israel landed on Eindhoven airbase late on Saturday evening 14 October. The plane carried 102 Dutch nationals and and six people with other nationalities, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier on Saturday a third plane had landed carrying 110 Dutch nationals.
These evacuation flights have been carried out since Wednesday because of the war that broke out between Israel and Hamas. A fifth flight is planned for Sunday. This plane will take off from Cologne to Israel and will return to Cologne. Buses will take the passengers to Eindhoven.
In total, nearly seven undred people have been evacuated by The Netherlands. New appliacations are still made, but their number decreases rapidly. “The cabinet has maintained that it will continue these flights for as long as the need exists and the safety situation allows”. In the course of Sunday they will decide wheter another flight is necessary and whether it can be undertaken safely.
Still stuck
Dutch nationals were not only caught by the situation in Israel. At least nine Dutch nationals are still in Gaza. They are a group of two families with whom the Dutch representative in the Palistinian Territories is in contact.
The ministry says it will do everything in its power to help them leave Gaza, but it is currently impossible to leave the Gaza Strip. “The borders are closed for everyone, whatever their nationality.” The “adverse circumstances in Gaza” make it difficult to maintain contact.
Source: Studio040
translated by EN editorial team
