Israel’s Ministry of Defense carried out a covert operation with the assistance of ICL corporate and its representatives in China, to procure much needed medical equipment to Israeli hospitals to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also playing an essential role in the operation were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in China.

The preparation for the mission took two weeks. The airlift departed for Israel on Sunday. The airlift is being conducted by El Al airlines which specially outfitted a number of Dreamliner (787) aircraft in order to bring the shipment over. The first plane is carrying over 900,000 surgical masks, half a million protective suits for medical teams, and additional critical equipment. Additional equipment, including ventilators, will be delivered to Israel in the coming days.

In all, El Al has adapted 11 Dreamliner aircraft to carry cargo for this purpose. The flight is expected to land at Ben Gurion airport on Monday morning. El Al will operate two flights per day for a period of approximately one week until the operation is completed.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said: “I would like to thank the people of the Ministry of Defense and El Al, whom we have sent to the other side of the world in order to bring life-saving equipment to Israel. We are continuing to operate in full force, assessing every avenue in both local production and in the international arena. The Ministry of Defense and the IDF are continuing to work 24/7 in order to complete every necessary mission, as part of the national effort against Corona.”

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz stated: “Under my guidance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working tirelessly through its offices around the world, to obtain the necessary medical equipment to handle the Corona crisis. We will see that our efforts bore fruit once the life-saving equipment lands in Israel and is delivered to medical teams across the country.”

El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin added: “While ensuring Israel’s ‘connection to the world by air, ’El Al considers the delivery of essential equipment to Israel as both an obligation and a privilege.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)