Romanian pilgrims in Israel have been assisted by the Representation of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places in leaving the conflict area safely.
According to Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, the evacuation was carried out through the only currently safe route available — the border crossing into Egypt.
“Romanian bus drivers and guides based in Israel have helped us evacuate about 50–60 pilgrims and tourists who travelled on their own and became stranded because of the war,” the archimandrite told Basilica.ro.
Regarding departures for Romania, Fr. Ioan Meiu said that a group of pilgrims is scheduled to depart from Cairo.
“One group of pilgrims will take a flight from Cairo to Romania, while some of those who travelled independently will remain in Sharm el-Sheikh and depart from there,” he said.
The archimandrite also thanked the institutions involved in coordinating the evacuations.
“We thank the Control Directorate of the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization and Tourism, with which we coordinated these evacuations through Egypt.”
“We pray to the good God to bring peace upon us and we entrust ourselves to the prayers of the Romanian people,” added the representative of the Romanian Patriarchate in the Holy Land.
Repatriation of Romanians from conflict areas
Meanwhile, Romanian national airline TAROM announced that, after obtaining approvals from Egyptian authorities for special Cairo–Bucharest flights, more than 360 Romanian citizens were expected to arrive at Henri Coandă International Airport on Monday evening.
The operations were carried out in coordination with the Romanian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and other national authorities, in close contact with Romania’s diplomatic missions in the region.
The Representation of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places continues to offer material and spiritual assistance to pilgrims who remain in Israel amid the security tensions that began on Saturday.
Photo: Facebook / Biserica Ortodoxă Română Ierusalim
