About 13,000 citizens of the Republic of Moldova work officially in Israel. There are also many Moldovans who have dual nationality and an exact figure cannot be determined therefore. The authorities also do not have accurate figures of the Moldovans in the West Bank, but know that there are 100-120 Moldovans in the Gaza Strip. For now, there is no information about Moldovans being among the victims of the war, Moldova’s Ambassador to Israel Alexandr Roitman stated in a press briefing, IPN reports.
Given that the Government of Israel on October 8 officially declared that it is at war, the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Israel works in an alert regime, 24/7. One more emergency phone line was set up. Therefore, the Moldovan citizens can call on:
+972 527 789 772;
+972 527 998 396.
According to the diplomat, about 2,000 persons wounded and approximately 700 deaths have been reported so far, but the figures are permanently updated. There are persons who are held hostage, including citizens of Israel and foreigners. Moldovans among these weren’t reported.
No evacuation activities have been staged so far. The people are moving on the streets even if there are posts for routine checks. The new buildings have individual shelters, while the older blocks have common shelters. There are also public shelters where the people can find refuge, stated Alexandr Roitman.
“The Ben Gurion International Airport is open and works as usual. Some of the airlines ceased operations to Israel, like Wizzair and Fly One. But the flights operated by Hisky, Tarom to Bucharest and to other locations in Romania are available. So, the citizens who are in Israel and want to return to the Republic of Moldova – either they were on vacation, visited relatives or travelled for other purposes, such as pilgrimage – can travel home whenever they want. As to our workers, if these want to leave for the Republic of Moldova, there are now no limitations. The airport is open and aircraft are flying. Tickets can be purchased online,” noted the diplomat.
Those who want to leave, but do not have papers can obtain travel documents from the Embassy. “At each hour, we are analyzing the speed at which requests are coming from our citizens and, depending on this, we will take the necessary decisions together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” stated Alexandr Roitman.
The ambassador reiterated that the Population and Immigration Authority extended the current visas of all the foreigners who stay legally in Israel and whose visas expire next month, including for foreign workers, until November 9, 2023. After this period, if no subsequent notification is issued, the visas will need to be extended in accordance with the normal procedures.
Israel declared a ‘state of war’ after the surprise attack carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7. Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented attack on Israel. The number of casualties is not clear, but the international press reported several hundred deaths. As a result, the Israeli army launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
