Around 190 Norwegians caught in Israel when war broke out over the weekend were finally able to fly home during the night, on a privately chartered flight. The Norwegian government was chartering a jet also, in an attempt to fly more citizens home Wednesday night.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Parliament that his government was still unsure how many Norwegians are in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, but it’s expected to be several hundred. He said the foreign ministry has set up a crisis team of around 50 people, plus those already in the region, that’s “working full-time to handle this crisis. We’re actively working to find travel options for Norwegian who want to come home.”
Airports remain open in Israel but many airlines (including Norwegian Air) have cancelled most flights for safety reasons. A government-chartered flight was due to take off from Tel Aviv Wednesday evening and those who’ve registered their presence in Israel with the ministry were sent notice of the travel possibility.
Støre said the ministry was also “in dialogue” with Egyptian officials to set up an exit route from Gaza since Israel has blockaded its borders, cut off supplies of water, electricity, food and medicine to Gaza and was expected to launch more attacks.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
