Several Israelis said rescued, larger operation mulled, as Ethiopia clashes heat up
13 Israelis and 7 others whisked from town north of Gondar as National Security Council reportedly meets to discuss possibility of sending in armed convoy
Over a dozen Israelis in war-torn northern Ethiopia were transported out of danger by rescuers, according to Hebrew media reports late Monday, amid speculation that Jerusalem may step in to whisk its citizens to safety as clashes between locals and the military intensify.
Some 50 Israeli nationals are thought to be in the Gondar area of northern Ethiopia, along with another 60 people eligible for citizenship, according to a Foreign Ministry statement on Friday, urging them to shelter in place, as Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency in the region.
Clashes and mass protests in the Gondar region have intensified in recent days over a plan to absorb regional forces into the military. The federal government has tried to centralize security powers after the end of a devastating two-year conflict in the country’s Tigray region, where Amhara regional forces and militia were key allies of the federal military.
Amhara residents who were badly affected in that conflict accuse the federal government of trying to undermine their region, and on Sunday Ethiopia’s federal government said it lost control of some districts and towns in the region to militia fighters.
Since last week, residents across the Amhara region have reported fighting as militia members attacked army units and protesters blocked roads. Flights to Gondar and another popular tourist town, Lalibela, have been suspended. Internet access has been affected.
On Monday morning, teams from PassportCard and Magnus Search and Rescue, in coordination with local officials, Israeli diplomats in Addis Ababa and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, managed to reach 13 Israelis and seven foreign nationals in the town of Debark, north of Gondar, Walla news reported.
The group was brought to the city of Shire, near the Eritrea border, and is expected to be flown to Addis Ababa, the news outlet reported. Magnus Search and Rescue works with travel insurance companies to come to the aid of Israelis abroad.
On Friday, the Foreign Ministry called on Israelis to remain at secure locations and try to maintain contact with the embassy in Addis Ababa, while urging others to reconsider travel plans to the country.
Israel’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday to examine ways to rescue Israelis from Gondar, Channel 12 news reported.
The report, which claimed that 70 Israelis are stuck in the Gondar region, said officials discussed sending in an armed rescue convoy, with full coordination with the Ethiopian military and the rival militia, for a mission that would last 14 hours.
Happening now in Gondar #AmharaResistance pic.twitter.com/D4FRV4eVuo
— ????Soስna (እሙ)???????? (@Emuye06) August 7, 2023
For decades, Gondar has been the center of Ethiopia’s Falash Mura community, as it has lobbied for the right to emigrate to Israel, claiming Jewish heritage. Thousands are thought to remain in camps in Gondar and elsewhere awaiting approval to emigrate.
According to the report, any rescue operation would not involve efforts to bring over masses of waiting Ethiopians. While Israel famously brought over thousands of Beta Israel Ethiopians in a series of daring rescue operations in the 1980s and 90s, officials now fear images similar to those seen when the US pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, with mothers throwing their babies at those leaving and people clinging to the outside of airplanes.
The network said Israelis are begging for rescue as soon as possible, reporting constant explosions and gunfire and bodies lying on the streets, amid fear that food and water could run short.
Ethiopia’s second most populous region has been gripped by instability since April, when federal authorities moved to disarm Amhara’s security forces following the end of the devastating two-year war in the neighboring Tigray region. Authorities last year also tried to dismantle the informal Amhara militia known as Fano.
In May, three Ethiopians in Gondar waiting to immigrate to Israel were killed when government forces opened fire during a demonstration.
The state of emergency declared last week bans several activities including protests. Violators face up to 10 years imprisonment. The decree also grants authorities the ability to detain suspects without a court order, conduct searches and impose curfews.
The order says the powers apply to the Amhara region but may be extended to other parts of Ethiopia if deemed necessary.
Agencies contributed to this report.
