The United States is offering American citizens and their immediate family members who want to leave Israel the opportunity to travel by boat from the northern Israeli port city of Haifa to Cyprus on Monday. The US embassy in Tel Aviv announced this.

The evacuation did not provide relief for the 500 to 600 American citizens trapped in the Gaza Strip. It was announced yesterday that they would be able to escape at Rafah, the only border crossing with Egypt, but that did not happen.

A flight left Cologne for Tel Aviv on Sunday, mainly carrying Dutch people who wanted to leave because of the war. This may be the last return flight. The Ministry of External Affairs doubts whether the next flight is necessary and whether it can be carried out safely.

Interest in repatriation is waning, the ministry said, not everyone who registers turns up. 57 people did not show up on Saturday.

A group of soldiers has been sent to Lebanon to support the Dutch Embassy in Beirut, the Defense Ministry said. There are currently no plans to evacuate the Dutch from Lebanon.

Ukraine has airlifted more than 200 of its citizens from Israel, seeking protection from a Russian invasion. They did not fly to their home country, but to Romania. And approximately 100 Ukrainians are leaving today. At least 243 Ukrainians remain in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Peter von Ammelrooy