MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan Air Force to rescue 77 people stranded in Israel

It will be a military flight performing “a humanitarian mission,” García explained

A Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) Hercules C-130 aircraft was to leave for Israel Wednesday to rescue nationals of the South American country willing to leave the war-torn Middle East, Defense Minister Javier García explained Tuesday in Montevideo.

 “We have decided to send an Air Force Hercules plane that will go with very particular characteristics because the circumstances are very particular,” García said during a press conference. He also underlined the fact that it needed to be a military flight, which would fulfill “a humanitarian mission.”

“The political decision has been made,” he also stressed while announcing all the authorizations needed were being brokered by the Foreign Ministry and the FAU. “We are going to work to be able to compress all possible times,” he assured.

“We are going to make an air bridge between Madrid and Tel Aviv”, Garcia detailed. The Uruguayans will be flown to the Spanish capital from where they can board commercial flights to the South American country.

To date, 77 Uruguayans have applied to be repatriated. Most of them were teenagers visiting Israel when the conflict broke out, Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo told reporters.

“So far there are 77 mostly non-resident citizens registered. There is an important group of teenagers who were visiting Israel,” he said.