An Australian man rushed out of Israel on-board Qantas’ first mercy flight has spoken about his relief and seeing fellow evacuees “smile for the first time”.
Speaking from Heathrow Airport on Saturday, Blake Jory described his conflicting emotions after making the difficult decision to leave behind his Israeli partner who had been called up to serve in the country’s reserve forces.
“It's very surreal, you know, leaving was a really difficult decision for me to make because my partner is there. I definitely feel some relief. I’m feeling much better, a lot safer.” Mr Jory was among more than 200 Australians who left Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Friday afternoon and arrived in London.
More than 1600 people, including dual nationals and tourists stuck in the conflict, have registered for repatriation flights including from Gaza and the West Bank.
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