Slovakia and the Czech Republic became two of the first European Union members to extract citizens from Israel on Tuesday, while neighbouring Poland prepared its own evacuation effort for later in the week.
Slovakia’s first charter landed in Bratislava late Monday with 73 passengers, among them 25 Slovak tourists and five relatives of Slovak diplomats posted in Tel Aviv. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said the flight also carried 15 Polish nationals—mostly children—along with 14 Czechs, nine Austrians, two Slovenians, and one passenger each from Estonia, Spain and Malaysia.
“A second plane is being readied for Tuesday,” Blanár told reporters, adding that citizens of the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Latvia and France are expected aboard. Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, confirmed that seven Hungarians were flown out on the initial Slovak flight.
In Prague, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said a military plane carrying 66 evacuees touched down Tuesday morning at a base outside the capital.
Poland, which announced plans Monday to move roughly 200 nationals out of Israel via Jordan, detailed a two-leg operation using military transport aircraft. Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys said the first flight will depart Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, followed by a second from Amman “most likely” early Thursday. Demand has been lower than anticipated, she added.
The evacuations come amid intensifying hostilities between Israel and Iran, prompting several governments to urge citizens to leave the region while commercial routes remain open.