Mexico deploys plane to repatriate nationals in Israel

MEXICO CITY

The Mexican Air Force will conduct two rescue missions in Israel to bring back the Mexican nationals stranded in Israel, said the Mexican president on Monday.

The first plane took off on Monday morning for Israel, and it is expected to repatriate up to 142 Mexicans.

Mexico's government is currently in direct communication with the Mexican ambassadors in Israel and Palestine to take requests from Mexicans seeking to leave the conflict area.

According to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, up to 300 nationals want to leave Israel and return to Mexico.

During his morning briefing, the Mexican president explained that the decision to send military envoys followed the cancellation of flights out of Israel and that a second military plane would take off from Mexico within the rest of the day.

"It was decided to send a plane that departs today in the morning, and another one is being prepared to leave in the afternoon, and we are looking for the protection of all our nationals," said Lopez Obrador.

The president also said that there are three Mexican nationals reported as missing. He shared that communication and support are being provided to the relatives of the missing.

The Gaza-based resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 560, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday amid ongoing fighting. It also said the number of injured people surged to 2,900.

The Interior Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli army has "intensified its aggression" on Gaza with hundreds of raids.

The Israeli army said it had struck over 500 targets in overnight raids on Gaza, which they claimed were targets belonging to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,616 others wounded in the fighting, according to local media.

While denouncing Hamas as a terrorist organization and pledging support to the people of Israel, the Mexican president said that peace should be the only way out of the war.

"We are in favor of peace. We do not consider that violence should be used... we do not want war, we do not want confrontation, we do not want violence, we maintain that it is the most irrational thing that can exist," said the president.