The UK Government announced it has organised flights to help British nationals leave Israel in the wake of the new spate of violence sparked by Hamas’ terror attacks.Â
The first flight is set to leave the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv later on Thursday and will prioritise “vulnerable” Britons, the Foreign Office said.Â
Further flights are planned to depart from Israel in the coming days, “subject to the security situation on the ground”.Â
To assist Britons in Israel, the UK also sent a rapid deployment team to the Middle Eastern nation.Â
The Foreign Office also said: “The safety of all British nationals in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice.” Â
There are up to 60,000 Britons in Israel and Gaza, the Government believes. Â
More than 1,300 have been killed by Hamas since the terror group first launched its multipronged attack on Israel.
Thousands more were left injured, and more than 100 people – including babies and elderly men and women – were abducted by militants.Â
The retaliatory strikes launched by Tel Aviv in response of the unexpected attack have also killed hundreds of people.
While skirmishes have taken place also in the West Bank, the strikes have been largely focused on the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is based.
More than 1,200 Palestinians are believed to have died, and more than 5,000 have been left injured.
Moreover, the United Nations believes that more than 350,000 people in Gaza have so far been forced to leave their homes, many of which have been razed to the ground.
We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
For the latest news and breaking news visit:Â /news
Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/DailyExpress and @daily_express
