Kyiv warns there are alarming signals that ‘Hamas is not interested in evacuating people’

The ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk has said that the number of Ukrainian citizens wanting to flee Gaza has increased.

He warned that there are alarming signals coming out of the Gaza Strip that the Palestinian militant group “Hamas is not interested in evacuating” their citizens to safety.

Korniychuk said, “However, the number of such people has been growing. Unfortunately, we lose contact with them from time to time.

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“Currently, we are in touch. For the tenth time, we have submitted the updated lists to the Israeli and Egyptian sides separately, to our American coordinators, and we also submit the lists of Moldovans and Bulgarians who are seeking help.

“They have small communities. I really hope that the evacuation will be held soon.”

The ambassador warned that they all “remain under fire” from Israeli strikes by air, land and sea and his colleagues constantly increasing their record of citizens trapped inside the Gaza Strip.

He added, “And people remain under fire. The number of Ukrainians killed in the Gaza Strip is constantly increasing.

“Therefore, we keep separate records of such citizens. This information has not been confirmed by anyone except our civilian activists, please understand this. Therefore, of course, there may be inaccuracies.”

He said that the UN and ICRC missions are not working in Gaza, therefore it is impossible for the embassy to confirm information from their citizens.

He said, “Therefore, the situation is extremely difficult. Negotiations are ongoing. About 6,000 foreign citizens (usually with dual citizenship) have applied for evacuation from the Gaza Strip.

“Unfortunately, virtually not a single application has been satisfied. But I can say that we are in the first place.”