101 French nationals evacuated from Israel to Cyprus

A total of 101 French nationals arrived at Larnaca airport from Israel on Tuesday, having been evacuated from the Middle East as the conflict in the region continues, foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.

The group travelled on a military aircraft from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, which landed in Cyprus at around 11.45am.

Their evacuation had been organised through Cyprus’ ‘Estia plan’, wherein the island acts as a hub for EU and third country nationals to be evacuated from conflict zones to the island before travelling onwards to their countries of origin.

After their arrival, all the passengers were transported to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) near the airport, with Gotsis telling CNA that they will thereafter be taken to temporary accommodation, where they will be housed until their departure from the island.

He added that such cooperation with France and other countries will continue in due course, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said while announcing the flight’s departure on social media that “others will follow”.

Their arrival on the island comes after the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force evacuated 63 British nationals and their dependants from Israel to Cyprus, with the BBC reporting that those on board will soon make onward journeys to the UK.

The UK’s chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis was reportedly on board the flight to Cyprus.

Last week, the ‘Estia plan’ had been activated by both Slovakia and Portugal, with a Slovak military aircraft having flown to Cyprus from Jordan and then onwards last Wednesday.

The following day, an aircraft operated by Portugal’s national airline Tap Portugal touched down at Larnaca airport from Lisbon at around, picking up Portuguese nationals and their families from Larnaca, and then departing to make the return journey.