Poland and Greece launch evacuation bridge for Polish citizens in Israel

"We have launched an evacuation bridge, thanks to cooperation with Greece. Our military potential has been set up in Crete, in the port of Chania. We will carry out flights from Crete to Tel Aviv, then return flights from Tel Aviv to Crete, and from there to Poland," Błaszczak said at a press conference on Monday.

He added the operation aimed to "maximize options for evacuation of Polish tourists in order to reduce support waiting time".

"The Polish Armed Forces will launch an evacuation bridge for Polish tourists from Israel. Our compatriots will be transported aboard military aircraft to Crete, from where they will return safely to homeland," the Polish MOD said on X.

"I want to assure we will keep the evacuation operation running for as long as Polish tourists are interested in this form of return to our country," Błaszczak said.

Polish state-owned airline LOT cancelled flights to Ben Gurion.

"Thanks to the professionalism and experience of military pilots, the safe evacuation of Poles from Israel has continued uninterrupted since yesterday," the ministry said on X.

Fighters from Islamist group Hamas killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more as they attacked Israeli towns on Saturday (Oct. 7), the deadliest incursion into Israeli territory since Egypt and Syria's attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago. 

Israel has drafted a record 300,000 reservists in its response to a multi-front Hamas attack from Gaza and is "going on the offensive," the chief military spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Monday.

Since Saturday's surprise assault, Israeli aircraft have been pounding Gaza targets while its ground forces have battled to retake control of border villages and towns overrun by Palestinian gunmen.

Hagari said control of those communities had been re-established but that isolated clashes continued as some gunmen remained active.

"We are now carrying out searches in all of the communities and clearing the area," he said in a televised briefing.

Military officials had previously said that their focus was on securing Israel's side of the border before carrying out any major escalation of the counter-offensive in Gaza.

Hagari said 300,000 reservists have been called up by the military since Saturday, a number suggesting preparations for a possible invasion - though any such plans have not been officially confirmed.

"We have never drafted so many reservists on such a scale," he said. "We are going on the offensive."

Hagari confirmed media reports that 700 people had been killed on Israel's side of the border, including 73 confirmed members of the security forces. He said Israel's military had killed hundreds of Palestinian gunmen.

European Union foreign ministers will meet in an emergency meeting on Tuesday (October 10) to discuss the situation in Israel and the region, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

They will meet to consider the responses and next steps for the EU, including reviewing aspects of development aid.

The EU Commission also said on Monday (October 9) that it is reviewing the consequences for its development assistance.

"The Commission is currently assessing how the recent tragic events might affect our current and our future development assistance," an EU Commission spokesperson told reporters.

"EU funding supports most essential services for the Palestinian population and contributes direct financing also to the Palestinian authority."

EU ministers will meet in Muscat, Oman where a meeting of EU and Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers was already scheduled to take place.