Czechs are stuck in Israel, departures are postponed
There are hundreds of Czechs in Israel, some of whom are trying to return home because of the war in Israel.
Some airlines are canceling flights, others are constantly pushing back the departure time. “So far, Czech citizens are managing to check in with alternative commercial flights,” Daniel Drake, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), told iDNES.cz.
According to him, the majority of Czechs stuck in Israel still manage to get home using commercial flights. “All Czechs who are interested in evacuation must report to the embassy in Tel Aviv. It currently only registers three Czech citizens with an interest in repatriation,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained to iDNES.cz.
“We are carefully evaluating the situation, it is dynamic. We are in contact with partners from the European Union. So far, Czech citizens are managing to check in with alternative commercial flights,” added Drake. He also pointed out that some airlines are moving the departure times from Tel Aviv, but this does not mean that they will not fly at all. Passengers just have to expect possible delays at the airport.
According to him, the majority of Czechs stuck in Israel still manage to get home using commercial flights. “All Czechs who are interested in evacuation must report to the embassy in Tel Aviv. It currently only registers three Czech citizens with an interest in repatriation,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained to iDNES.cz.
“We are carefully evaluating the situation, it is dynamic. We are in contact with partners from the European Union. So far, Czech citizens are managing to check in with alternative commercial flights,” added Drake. He also pointed out that some airlines are moving the departure times from Tel Aviv, but this does not mean that they will not fly at all. Passengers just have to expect possible delays at the airport.
According to current information from Czech diplomats and travel agencies, the Czechs currently residing in Israel are fine and are not among the victims, injured or kidnapped.
Drake said on Sunday afternoon that the number of Czechs in Israel who registered in the Foreign Ministry’s DROZD database for possible assistance to Czech citizens abroad had risen from 167 to 198 as of Saturday evening.
Since Saturday morning, when terrorists from the Hamas movement attacked Israel, the number of registered people has increased to about four times. Due to the current events in Israel, airlines around the world have canceled and are continuously canceling dozens of flights to Israeli cities, which also applies to connections between Prague and Tel Aviv.
On Saturday afternoon, the ministry advised travelers to register before traveling to Israel in the DROZD system, i.e. in the database Voluntary registration of citizens of the Czech Republic when traveling abroad, and to contact the embassy in Tel Aviv in case of emergency.
Both the ministry and the embassy advised people to exercise caution, respect the instructions of security forces, avoid affected areas and monitor local media and Israel’s national emergency portal.
Palestinian militants launched a large-scale rocket and ground attack on Israel on Saturday morning. According to the information so far, at least hundreds of rockets hit its territory, which resulted in several deaths and dozens of injuries. Israel called the attack a declaration of war. The Israeli army launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to attacks by radicals. Monday’s meeting between Czech and Israeli politicians in Prague was postponed due to the attack.
