Key Points
- The repatriation flight was operated by Qantas, and had 238 Australians and their families on board.
- More will be repatriated on government-supported charter flight that will arrive in Tel Aviv on Saturday local time.
- About 825 Australians have now departed Israel and the Palestinian territories, with a further 20 trying to leave Gaza.
The first repatriation flight of Australians from Israel landed in London at about 7am Sydney time on Saturday, with more flights slated for the coming days.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the safe arrival of the repatriation flight, which was conducted by Qantas, and urged Australians still seeking to leave Israel or Gaza to do so as soon as possible.
"I'm very happy to confirm that the first Australian government-assisted departure flight landed in London this morning, 238 Australians and their families on board," Wong told reporters in Adelaide on Saturday morning.
According to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, roughly 825 Australians have now departed Israel and the Palestinian territories. Credit: Douglas Ferguson / DFAT
Wong confirmed there would be more repatriation flights to come, and that the next would be a government-supported charter flight that would land in Tel Aviv Saturday local time before proceeding on to Dubai.
"We continue to work on onward travel arrangements for those Australians. We are also moving quickly to secure more options for Australians who want to leave Israel or the occupied territories."
About 825 Australians have now departed Israel and the Palestinian territories, Wong revealed, with a further 20 who are seeking to leave Gaza and receiving assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"I want to again echo what I said yesterday to all Australians who are in Israel or Gaza: if you wish to leave, please do not delay," Wong said.
"If you wish to leave, please take the first available flight. Please do not wait for another option. I would emphasise that the situation on the ground is changing quickly. It is extremely difficult."
Israel said on Friday night local time that , its first announcement of a shift from an air war to ground operations to root out Hamas fighters a week after their deadly rampage in southern Israel.
Some Gaza residents were abandoning their homes on Friday to escape from the path of an Israeli onslaught, after Israel ordered more than a million people to leave the northern half of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said troops backed by tanks had mounted raids to attack Palestinian rocket crews and seek information on the location of hostages, the first official account of ground troops in Gaza since the crisis began.
Several thousand residents could be seen on roads heading out of the northern part of the Gaza Strip but it was impossible to assess their numbers.
The United Nations and other organisations warned of a disaster if so many people were forced to flee.
"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, prompting a rebuke from Israel that the UN should condemn Hamas and support Israel's right to self-defence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it would be impossible for aid organisations to help while Gaza is under Israeli siege: "The needs are staggering, and humanitarian organisations must be able to increase aid operations."
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Wong repeated the Australian government's unequivocal condemnation of Hamas' attacks on Israel and called for the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza.
"We are a steadfast friend of Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself," she said.
Wong described Hamas as "a brutal terrorist organisation", and said the Australian government knows the militant group does not represent the Palestinian people.
"I say this: one of the many tragedies of what Hamas has done is that they have undermined the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people themselves, and they have pushed peace further from reach," she said.
"All people – Israelis, Palestinians, civilians – deserve to live in peace and security and to prosper within internationally recognised borders."
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, gaining power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006.
Hamas' stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
Some countries list only its military wing as a terrorist group.
- With AAP
