Repatriation flights are set to bring home hundreds of Australians in Israel as the conflict with Hamas rages on, but those in Gaza face a far more difficult path out of an area that could soon be subject to a ground assault.
A Qantas flight was night for London, with a connecting flight planned from London to Sydney via Singapore on Tuesday.
The initial flight is expected to land in Sydney on Wednesday morning, and a second Qantas flight will leave Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The federal government confirmed on Friday at least two further charter flights would take Australians from Tel Aviv to Dubai.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that of the 1,600 people that have registered for repatriation, 19 are in Gaza.
Israel after Hamas — that has ruled the Palestinian territory since winning legislative elections there in 2006 — launched a surprise attack on Saturday that has resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries on both sides.
Hamas’s stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel’s right to exist.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annihilate Hamas following its deadly assault, and the United Nations said the country’s military informed it late on Thursday (local time) that 1.1 million people in Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the next 24 hours, in what Palestinians fear could be a precursor to a planned Israeli ground offensive.
In Gaza, the situation on the ground is grim. Its sole power station has run out of fuel and without electricity, water can’t be pumped to houses.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said fuel powering emergency generators at hospitals in Gaza could run out within hours and the United Nations World Food Programme warned food and fresh water were running dangerously low.
“We need rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access now,” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.
Entire blocks have been razed by Israeli airstrikes, with some aid agencies in Gaza saying the conditions are the worst they can remember.
Israel is massing tens of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza in preparation of a possible ground invasion. Source: Getty / Leon Neal
Amid intense bombing raids, it would likely be a risky journey for anyone travelling to one of the two main border crossings.
But that’s not the only problem — the Erez border crossing, controlled by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), is closed.
And there’s conflicting information about the status of the Rafah crossing, which Egypt controls. It insists the southern crossing remains open but says operations on the Palestinian side have been “affected” following IDF strikes that have damaged facilities.
Albanese on Friday signalled the federal government was focused on securing safe passage for Australians via the Rafah crossing — the only exit point that is not controlled by Israel.
“We are having discussions with the Egyptian government about the potential to get them out into Egypt through that southern border,” Albanese said.
“It’s closed of course, at the moment, formally, but we are having discussions to try to ensure that Australians can be gotten to safety.”
A family of four from Adelaide is among the Australians desperate to leave Gaza and wrote a letter to the federal government urging them to establish a humanitarian corridor.
“Our beloved children are living in a constant state of fear and, with each passing day, the availability of food and clean water dwindles further,” a member of the family wrote.
“This might be my last message to anyone.
“Please can the government negotiate an exit strategy through Egypt?”
In Gaza, entire blocks have been razed by Israeli strikes. Source: AAP / Hatem Ali/AP
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said some contact had been made with the family but could not provide further detail.
Australian Friends of Palestine Association spokesman Mike Khizam called on the government to do more to secure their escape.
“The situation there is horrific now, but we’re expecting it to get much, much worse,” he told the Australian Associated Press.
“We need the Australian government to balance its concerns both for Palestinian civilians and Israeli civilians.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the “dangerous security situation” in Gaza meant departures from there were “challenging”.
“The Australian government is exploring options to assist Australians to get to safety, including supporting international efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor,” a spokesperson said.
