“We anticipate that at least as many more people are awaiting evacuation,” Jacek Siewiera said, as quoted by state news agency PAP.
“Further evacuation flights are scheduled for this afternoon and later in the evening," he added at a press briefing in Warsaw.
Siewiera told reporters that the evacuation of Polish citizens from Israel was "an ongoing operation," and that "a dedicated airlift" had been established for this purpose.
Siewiera further noted that these evacuation flights were being made using military transport amid the ongoing armed conflict in Israel.
On Monday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said that three military aircraft had been sent to Israel to evacuate Polish citizens following the Hamas attack. The planes have returned to Warsaw carrying nearly 300 people, according to Müller.
“Our embassy is responding to calls on an ongoing basis as people interested in receiving support are contacting our diplomatic missions,” Müller said, as quoted by the PAP news agency.
The first evacuation plane landed at Warsaw's Okęcie airport at 5 a.m. on Monday bringing over 100 Poles back from Israel.
Later on Monday morning, two military planes brought more Polish citizens from Israel.
Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Monday that the authorities were working to organise more flights to evacuate Poles from Israel.
He said the government was above all seeking to help people on short-term visits to Israel, such as tourists and pilgrims.
Fighting raged in Israel after Hamas on Saturday breached the border from Gaza in an unprecedented surprise attack in which the death toll had passed 900, including 260 people shot dead by Hamas gunmen at a music festival, according to news outlets.
Meanwhile, Israel was continuing its air strikes on the Gaza Strip, hitting 200 targets overnight into Tuesday, the BBC reported.
(mo/gs)
Source: PAP