Alex Roitman, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Israel, said that most of the 15000 Moldovans in Israel conflict are not rushing to leave, despite the sharp escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
No Mass Departure So Far
According to him, one family with a child has already taken the opportunity to leave overland through the Taba border crossing into Egypt, from where they flew home, but there has been no mass exodus.
Speaking on the program Ora expertizei, Roitman said that although air traffic in Israel is currently suspended, discussions are under way about a partial reopening of Ben Gurion Airport on Monday. According to the diplomat, such reports are helping to ease anxiety among Moldovans, who are closely following the news.
“This fact is, to some extent, making our citizens wait, because they are following the news very closely and know the situation in the country, and we are informing them. In this context, the pressure on citizens has decreased, and for that reason we are not receiving many requests from our citizens,” he said.
No Direct Recommendation to Leave
Notably, the ambassador stopped short of directly advising Moldovan citizens to leave the territory of wartime Israel. Instead, he said that people are waiting to see what happens next.
At the same time, Roitman stressed that the country is not completely sealed off and that, in his words, there are no obstacles preventing Moldovans from leaving for a safe place.
Background of the Escalation
The situation in the region sharply escalated on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran.
On the very first day, according to the text, American and Israeli forces struck the Shajare Tayebe girls’ primary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a high-yield missile completely destroyed the building, where 170 schoolgirls were present at the time.
The number of girls killed, according to various reports cited in the text, ranges from 148 to 160 children. The human rights organization HRANA reports that more than 700 civilians have been killed since the start of the war, including 176 children.
Iran’s Response
In response, Iran attacked American military bases in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, placing full responsibility for the consequences of the escalation on the United States and Israel.
Against the backdrop of a tragedy that, according to the text, claimed the lives of more than 160 Iranian schoolgirls, the Moldovan diplomat Roitman spoke of relative calm among Moldovan citizens.
At the same time, the embassy is refraining from recommending that Moldovan citizens leave the territory of wartime Israel, instead suggesting that they monitor the situation in the region themselves in order to assess the risks.
