Eight dead and 20 missing, some of whom "were most likely abducted" according to the Quai d'Orsay. This is the provisional death toll of French nationals on the fifth day of Hamas' attack on Israel. Among the hostages was 12-year-old Eitan, who was kidnapped on a motorcycle with his father. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry announced the establishment of a "special flight" for the repatriation of "the most vulnerable" French or Franco-Israeli people still present there.
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This initiative was announced Tuesday by Minister Catherine Colonna, who had mentioned "the implementation of a special flight by Air France this Thursday as part of an operation coordinated by the crisis center" of the Quai d'Orsay. This "special flight" is intended "for compatriots who wish to do so, and have not been able to find available seats on the commercial flights still open in Tel Aviv (...) pending the resumption of regular Air France flights," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will depart from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport at 16:40 p.m. and arrive at 20:35 p.m. at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
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Commercial flights suspended since Saturday
The ministry stresses that this flight is intended for "vulnerable people", in particular "unaccompanied minors and pregnant women". or any person "with a disability or a medical situation with a particular emergency". French citizens who would like to board the airport must register before 15 p.m. (Tel Aviv time) on Wednesday, October 11, at the email address indicated on the ministry's website.
Like almost all airlines linked to Israel, Air France - which until then operated two round trips a day between Charles-de-Gaulle and Tel Aviv and three flights a week between Lyon and the Israeli capital - and its cheap subsidiary Transavia suspended their commercial flight service from Saturday. However, a few flights have continued, as the Israeli airline El Al has maintained its activity. A few foreigners, including Frenchmen, may have been able to leave Israel. But many of them are still there. In 2022, the Quai d'Orsay counted 57,000 French nationals in Israel.
Thousands of foreigners are stranded in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and France is not alone in organizing repatriation operations. Argentina has already begun these operations with the dispatch of a military aircraft. Nigeria also repatriated 310 of its nationals who were in Jordan after leaving Israel by road. Switzerland and Spain also chartered a special flight on Tuesday from Tel Aviv. Brazil, South Korea and Canada plan to do the same in the coming days.