Georgian FM says Gov’t helping Georgian citizens return from Israel amid Hamas attacks

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Wednesday said the Government was “doing its best” to help Georgian citizens return from Israel. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Agenda.ge, 11 Oct 2023 - 16:13, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Wednesday said the Government was “doing its best” to help Georgian citizens return from Israel amid ongoing attacks by Hamas, but added there was “no need” to launch special flights from the country.

The need for special flights arises if there are no flights between the two countries, but we have four to five flights every day, operated by different airlines. About 3,000 people have arrived from Israel to Georgia on these flights”, Darchiashvili told reporters.

The Minister said the Government was trying “as much as possible” to ensure “no barriers” between citizens and airline companies, and that passengers could purchase tickets “smoothly”. 

We continue to communicate and, if necessary, provide hotels to our citizens if they are in a desperate situation. There are special groups, for example, children who arrived in Israel for treatment, and we support them as much as possible so that they can be transferred to another location or return to Georgia in time”, he said.

The official added the safety of Georgian citizens was of “special importance”. 

Our Embassy has opened several hotlines. We continue to identify the needs of our citizens on the spot. We continue to protect the interests of our citizens and I am sure that all citizens who want to return to Georgia will be able to return to their homeland", Darchiashvili said.

The death toll from the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas has passed 1,800, with more than 1,000 people killed and 2,700 injured in Israel, and at least 900 people killed and 4,500 injured in Gaza, according to Palestinian and Israeli health services.