Repatriation flights out of Israel to the UK will begin TODAY, government announces, following pleas for help by stranded citizens

The Government has organized repatriation flights from Israel and the first of them left Tel Aviv this evening, following requests for help from stranded citizens.

More flights are planned in the coming days, but the Foreign Office warned this could change if violence increases.

It comes as MailOnline spoke to Britons who were “furious” at the Foreign Office for leaving them trapped in Israel for so long after the conflict broke out on Saturday.

This was even though several nations, including Bulgaria, Spain, Poland and ThailandHe already sent planes to Israel to pick up its citizens and make sure they were away from the war.

Until today, the only message sent to British citizens was a mass text message asking people to register with them.

Several British citizens revealed how tense it was in Israel upon arriving in the UK.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK was “working around the clock” to get British citizens home.

Making the announcement today, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: ‘The UK is working around the clock to ensure British citizens can leave Israel.

‘That’s why we have organized a UK-sponsored flight for vulnerable British citizens.

“It is absolutely essential that if you are in Israel and wish to leave, you register your presence.”

Priority should be given to those classified as vulnerable, and the FCDO added that it will contact people directly, six days after the bloodiest conflict between Israel and Palestine in decades.

He advised that British citizens should not go to airports unless called directly.

The flights will cost around £300 per person, which will cover the operating costs of the flights, it is understood.

Israel has no choice but to meet force with force. The only democracy in the Middle East has every right to defend itself (Pictured: Gaza on Sunday)

Palestinians inspect damage caused by Israeli strikes, following a surprise attack by Hamas, at the Beach refugee camp in Gaza City on October 9.

PPhilip Horesh, a Jewish Londoner on holiday in Israel, said that despite the need for help from the UK government, none came to him and his wife: “The [FCDO] They were useless. No communication except banal announcements, no help traveling to anyone’s house.’

He said he was forced to shell out around £1,400 for flights from Tel Aviv to Gatwick, with an overnight stopover in Izmir, Turkey.

In addition to flights, he had to pay for hotels and last-minute taxis to get around Tel Aviv and Izmir.

‘[We feel] much safer and relieved, but they feel bad about leaving when the country needs all the help it can get. More sirens sounded on Tuesday in Tel Aviv and at the airport, we are worried for those still there.’

‘[The FCDO] You need to proactively make individual contact with British nationals who have registered to say they are in Israel and offer them help leaving if they become stranded.’

Philip’s wife Helena said: “The biggest stress has been trying to find my way home.

‘The Israeli staff at our hotel have been very understanding and friendly; We felt very emotional leaving them, knowing that the worst is probably yet to come.

“We can’t wait to be home with our family again.”

Several airlines, including British Airways, easyJet and Wizz Air, have suspended commercial flights to Israel, where 60,000 British citizens are currently believed to be located.

The view shows the ruins of a Palestinian house hit by Israeli attacks in the al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza City on Tuesday.

bFinding commercial flights back to the UK is incredibly difficult.

Although the airspace over Israeli and Palestinian territory has not been officially closed, Airlines around the world have decided to mass suspend their flights from Israel for security reasons.

The security situation in Israel is so serious that The British Airways flight from London to Israel was forced to turn back moments before arriving in Tel Aviv..

Flight BA165 had almost reached the city when it was forced to change course back to London Heathrow amid the launch of a new wave of rocket attacks by Hamas.

Meanwhile, several British citizens revealed how tense it was in Israel upon returning to the UK today.

Issac Lowry, 17, from Hackney, east London, had traveled to Israel to attend Sukkot, a Jewish holiday celebrating the autumn harvest.

The teenager’s parents are on another flight back to the UK. He said: ‘The situation is getting worse and worse.

‘The airport was very full. I have had a flight cancelled; “I waited 16 hours for a flight to arrive today,” he added upon arriving at Luton Airport.

‘When I was there, there were rockets. We had to go into bomb shelters. It was quite scary.

A Palestinian man runs through the rubble with a child in his arms, following an Israeli military attack on Gaza City on Thursday.

A Palestinian man with a child screams outside Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Thursday.

Palestinian children injured in Israel’s attacks are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday

‘I feel safe being back in the UK. This is the first time I have experienced war.’

Jacob Lustbader, 26, who has been studying to be a rabbi in Jerusalem, will stay with a friend in Manchester until he can fly home to New York.

He said: ‘We had rockets landing in Jerusalem, but none of them landed in a civilian area.

‘There were sirens and we took cover. It’s the first time I experience it. There is a very tense atmosphere at the moment.

“All Israelis know that there are civilians in Gaza who are victims of brainwashing by Hamas, but when a terrorist group is democratically elected there is no choice but to deal with it by force.”