Australia plans more repatriation flights from Israel, subject to security issues

Australia plans more flights to repatriate citizens from Israel after plans for two flights were canceled on Saturday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, but they depend on concerns about security.

Israeli troops were preparing on Sunday for a ground assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in retaliation for a rampage by the group's fighters in Israeli towns eight days ago that was the worst attack on civilians in the country's history.

"I can confirm that the Australian government is planning multiple flights to depart from Tel Aviv today for Australians wanting to leave," Wong told reporters in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.

"This is a mixture of government chartered and airforce planes. I want to stress these flights remain subject to factors including the security environment," she added on Sunday.

Flight cancelations

Two planned flights were canceled late on Saturday because of what the foreign affairs department called a "highly challenging" regional situation.

Wong encouraged Australians who wanted to leave Israel to "take the first option that becomes available to you," adding that the government continued to work on options for those wanting to leave the occupied Palestinian territories.

More than 200 Australians and their families arrived safely in London, SBS News said, brought by the first of a planned series of repatriation flights that left Israel on Friday.