Ukraine has received another 146 applications from its citizens wishing to evacuate from Gaza. In total, approximately 500 Ukrainians may remain in the enclave. This was stated by Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk during a telethon.
"We have received 329 permits for our citizens from Israelis and Egyptians. We managed to take out 259 people, 172 of whom are already in Ukraine. The rest decided to stay in Egypt or go to Europe on their own," he said.
According to Korniychuk, since the cessation of hostilities and the successful evacuation stage, an additional 146 citizens have applied.
"And it is somewhat surprising, because the vast majority of these citizens had permission to leave, but did not use it. For various reasons," he explained.
Korniychuk notes that the main task now is to obtain a new permit as soon as possible and take these people to Egypt.
"We have already submitted the documents for approval. The situation is under the control of the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. And I am sure that by the end of the week we will be able to evacuate a significant part of the remaining people who have expressed a desire to be evacuated," he continued.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel emphasized that the vast majority of those willing to leave are women and children.
"I just named 146 people, and only 54 of them are new citizens who have not previously applied for evacuation. There are more than 110 women and children among them," Korniychuk summarized.
Commenting on the number of Ukrainians who are still in Gaza, the diplomat noted that their number could reach five hundred.