Biełavija evacuation flight from Israel brings 117 Belarusians home – foreign ministry

November 6, Pozirk. A Biełavija flight has departed from Israel’s Ben Gurion airport with 117 Belarusian nationals on board, a Telegram channel linked to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry reports.

On October 31, the Belarusian embassy in Israel said that over 500 Belarusians sought assistance amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and announced Biełavija’s “humanitarian flight on a commercial basis.” The tickets reportedly cost over $500.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Siarhiej Alejnik blamed the United States sanctions against Biełavija for hindering the evacuation of Belarusians from Israel.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict aggravated on October 7, when Hamas militants broke into Israel from the Gaza Strip launching over 7,000 rockets in 11 days. According to the latest reports, 1,400 people from 37 countries, including two Belarusian nationals, died as a result of the terrorist attack. Some 4,600 were wounded, and about 200 people were taken hostage.

In August 2023, the US expanded the sanctions against the Belarusian regime, adding the state-owned Biełavija to the blacklist.