Ikram Kouachi
15 October 2023•Update: 15 October 2023
ANKARA
The US on Monday will help its citizens leave the country by sea to the Greek Cypriot administration, the country’s embassy in Israel has announced.
In a Sunday statement, the embassy said: “The U.S. government is assisting U.S. nationals and their immediate family members with a valid travel document to depart (the port city of) Haifa via sea for (Southern) Cyprus on October 16, 2023.”
The embassy added that boarding begins at 8 am local time (0500GMT) and that U.S. citizens must arrive at the passenger terminal no later than 9 am (0600GMT).
“Boarding will proceed in order of arrival and is on a space limited basis,” it added.
The move comes as an Israeli ground operation into the Gaza Strip is seen as likely to start soon, though the US reportedly asked Israel to postpone such an offensive until after a humanitarian corridor is established, Israeli media reported Saturday.
Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering over 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the south.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi
