Moldova to provide free travel documents to citizens in Israel and Gaza
Moldova's Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced a plan to provide free travel documents to citizens who are currently in Israel and the Gaza Strip and have expired documents. The measure is intended to help citizens return to Moldova safely.
The plan also includes discussions with airline operators to organise special flights for this purpose. In the event that air travel is not possible, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will discuss with the authorities in Cyprus and Egypt the possibility of transferring citizens to those countries. The plan also proposes the creation of a safe corridor for civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel who wish to return home.
The decision to activate the Crisis Cell at the Ministry of Internal Affairs was announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
To date, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, through its Crisis Cell, has provided citizens in Israel with several communication platforms where they can register their requests to return. The ministry has also increased the number of staff at its embassy in Israel.
There are about 13,000 Moldovan citizens living in Israel, of whom 252 have registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to return, and 336 have returned to the country on scheduled commercial flights since the Hamas attack.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
