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Poles evacuated from Israel as Middle East conflict escalates

18.06.2025 09:09
The first group of Polish citizens evacuated from Israel landed safely in Warsaw on Wednesday morning, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced.
Audio
Radosław Sikorski
Radosław SikorskiMarysia Zawada/REPORTER/EAST NEWS

He said the group had departed from the Polish embassy in Tel Aviv and traveled via Egypt.

"6:50 a.m. The first group of Poles has just landed in Warsaw. They left from our post in Tel Aviv and reached Poland via Egypt,” Sikorski wrote on X. "Another flight tomorrow. Come home safe."

Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys said earlier that the evacuation would take place in two phases.

The first group flew on a chartered flight from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt on Wednesday morning. A second group is expected to leave Amman, Jordan, aboard a military aircraft on Thursday.

Around 200 Polish citizens are set to be evacuated in total.

Mościcka-Dendys also said that non-essential Polish diplomatic staff would be withdrawn from Iran, traveling through Azerbaijan, along with seven other individuals, including citizens of the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

The evacuations come as tensions soar between Israel and Iran. On June 13, Israel launched a large-scale military strike, saying it was targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran now possesses enough enriched uranium to build nine nuclear bombs.

Iran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli targets, killing 24 people, according to reports.

Tehran, meanwhile, has reported at least 224 fatalities from Israeli strikes. Both governments have vowed further military action.

Global leaders have urged both sides to de-escalate and resume negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

(mp/gs)

Source: MSZ/PAP/X/@sikorskiradek/@moscicka_dendys

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Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland