Poland’s President Andrzej Duda announced on Sunday that the country would be sending military aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Israel in the wake of the unexpected attack by Palestinian resistance forces on Israel.
President Duda made the announcement on the “X” social media platform, stating, “We will dispatch transport aircraft from the Polish Air Force to evacuate Polish citizens currently in Israel. Our special forces will ensure the safety and security of those aboard the planes.”
Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak disclosed that Poland would send two C-130 Hercules aircraft to evacuate approximately 200 Polish citizens from Ben Gurion Airport.
He further mentioned that Warsaw would provide additional aircraft if necessary or coordinate with Greece to transport Polish citizens back home using CASA transport aircraft.
During a press conference, Błaszczak said, “We are in talks to establish an evacuation bridge with Greece,” adding, “We expect these planes to take off at any moment, arrive at their destination, and pick up Polish tourists from the airport.”
Poland’s national airline, LOT Polish Airlines, has canceled its flights to Ben Gurion Airport.
Hamas executed its largest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, involving militants breaching the border fence and launching a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip.
As air raid sirens sounded across southern and central Israel, including the occupied city of Jerusalem, the Israeli military declared a state of war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for an emergency meeting with security officials.
In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the launch of “Operation Iron Swords” as a retaliation to the “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” initiated by Hamas earlier that day.
