Nine Israelis were rescued from the combat zones of Tigray, Ethiopia by Israel’s Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the Ethiopian government, local military forces and international aid organizations

“The Israelis were rescued from the battle zones in Tigray in a complex rescue operation conducted by the Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the Ethiopian government and the local army, the United Nations and international aid organizations,” the ministry said.

Five of those rescued were employees of the Netafim and Baran companies working on irrigation projects in the area, and were evacuated by the Ethiopian army. The other four Israelis, volunteers of the Cultivaid organization, were evacuated from the city of Makala by a special UN evacuation convoy.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke with his counterpart in Ethiopia on Thursday and asked him to assist in the rescue of Israelis from the battle zones. Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Raphael Morav, has been in constant contact with the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s Office and the Ethiopian Chief of Staff in order to facilitate the mission.

Deputy Director of African Affairs for the Foreign Ministry, Aliza Ben-Noun, Deputy Department Head For Consular Affairs Eyal Siso, and the Department of Israelis Abroad worked tirelessly to bring the mission to fruition. The mission was successful thanks to the cooperation of Israel’s Foreign Ministry with the authorities in Ethiopia and the UN headquarters through the Israeli Embassy in Ethiopia and the Israeli delegation to the UN in New York.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry was in contact with the families of the stranded Israelis throughout the operation.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)