Australians fleeing the conflict in Israel have landed in Sydney on the first repatriation flight. The Dfat-supported flight carried 222 people from Tel Aviv via Dubai.
Among the passengers were the teenage niece and nephew of Ayelet Nussbaum, from Glebe, whose brother and family moved to Haifa in 2021.
“This is the third flight they tried to get on and we’re very relieved – we were very nervous,” Nussbaum told Guardian Australia as she waited to greet her family.
“But it’s mixed feelings,” she said, explaining that her brother, his wife and their youngest child remained in Haifa. “My brother is very patriotic and very involved socially. He is not ready to leave. Being there is part of who he is. I don’t blame him even though it’s hard for us,” she said.
She was joined at the airport by her children, Mya Nussbaum, 10, and Adam Nussbaum, 13, and her parents, Shai and Dina Thaler.
The Qatar Airways-operated flight was the first of three government-assisted repatriation flights due to land from Israel via London and Dubai over the next 48 hours.
Tamara Thaler, 13, and her 16-year-old brother, who left their parents and 7-year-old brother at home in Haifa was happy to be on Australian soil. She said stepping foot in Australia “felt good.”
“I’m going to miss them but I’m happy to be with my family,” she said. “It was scary to know what was going on and we were hoping that [fighting] wouldn’t come to our area. We were very scared, but I hope things will be better.”
Michael Landis, his wife and his 16-month-old daughter were also on the flight. The family had spent many hours sheltering in the bomb-proof safe room in their Herzliya apartment since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
“We’re a little overwhelmed. It was very hard to leave Israel, you feel so much guilt,” he said. “We only made the decision to leave two days ago.”
He said the family had slept very little since fighting began and were looking forward to getting some rest. His brother and family have remained in Israel.
Peter Wertheim from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry was part of a welcome party at the airport on Tuesday. He said those on the flight were all in good spirits and were very grateful to be in Australia.
Senator Deborah O’Neil, the chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel group, said the government was working to help 45 Australians leave war-torn Gaza.
“Every Australian matters to this Australian government. I couldn’t be prouder of my colleagues in the parliament who passed a statement on Monday of this week, in a multiparty way, to acknowledge the crisis that is unfolding for the people in the Middle East.
“Today we have this flight landing and I’m really grateful not only for Dfat but for the work that has been done by Virgin and Qantas and their partner airlines in bringing people home.”
