Argentina evacuates hundreds of citizens from Israel
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP)— Argentina, the Latin American country with the biggest Jewish population, on Tuesday started evacuating more than 1,200 of its citizens from Israel as fighting raged following a horror attack by militant group Hamas.
Three air force flights a day will take the 1,246 Argentines who have asked to be evacuated to Rome, Italy, defense minister Jorge Taiana said.
From there, Aerolineas Argentinas will bring them to Buenos Aires.
Seven Argentines were killed in the Hamas attack, according to the government, and 15 were missing.
Argentina’s Jewish community numbers about 300,000 in a population of 45 million.
In 1994, an attack on a Jewish center in the center of Buenos Aires killed 85 people and injured 300. Two years earlier, 29 died and 200 were wounded in an attack on the Israeli embassy there.
Neighbour Uruguay said it was bringing home 77 of its nationals from Israel.
