Australia has cancelled planned repatriation flights out of Israel, citing the "highly challenging and rapidly changing" situation as the federal government investigates alternative options.
"The Australian government is working to ensure Australians who want to leave can do so as soon as possible," the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Saturday night.
"We will communicate to registered Australians about next available flights."
RELATED:
-
'Stressful': Hope for flights with Albanese to send Qantas
-
'First few arrive home': 24 out of Israel, others wait on flights
-
'Monitoring how close the rockets are': Families hoping to escape in Israel
-
'Touch and go': Four depart Israel, but 29 others remain
-
Hunter teachers narrowly miss Israel invasion
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said she understood people's distress at the flight cancellations.
"Unfortunately, these fights were not able to proceed as we had originally hoped," she told Sky News.
"The situation on the ground is obviously very volatile, and it is changing rapidly."
Earlier, a Qantas flight to evacuate people from the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip landed in London, with 238 Australians aboard.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the repatriation, confirming the first group of Australians flown out of the conflict zone had landed safely at Heathrow Airport.
"I report the flight from Qantas has landed in London," he told reporters in Sydney.
"It was a full flight carrying around 220 passengers."
The foreign minister said about 825 Australians had departed Israel and the occupied territories, with the foreign affairs department working to secure the safety of about 20 Australians seeking to leave Gaza.
"We continue to work on the travel arrangements for those Australians," she said.
"We are moving quickly to secure more options for Australians who want to leave Israel or the occupied territories."
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told ABC News it was "brilliant" that passengers had arrived safely in London.
"We've got another flight, a Qantas flight, leaving for London and two more Australian government charter flights going to Dubai over the coming days," she said earlier on Saturday.
"Our urgent priority is to protect Australians caught up in this conflict, whether they be caught in Israel or Gaza."
Ms O'Neil said Australians could register the interest of family members in the region who wanted to come home.
"If you want to get out, now is the time," she said.
Australian Associated Press
