Catalonia launches hotline for citizens caught in emergencies due to Israel-Palestine conflict
Spain also announces evacuation plan for citizens stuck in Israel
Catalonia's Department of Foreign Affairs and the European Union have opened a telephone line to deal with emergencies for people affected by the situation in Israel and Palestine.
The phone number they can contact is 93 874 90 64, and the email is catalunyaexterior@gencat.cat.
The government has released a statement saying that it is "following the situation" in the area and that they are in contact with local authorities, organizations and entities that work on the ground, as well as the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Authorities are not yet aware of any Catalans who are in need of emergency care, but the situation is "unstable and continuously evolving," they point out.
"We do have evidence of groups of Catalans who are trying to leave the country, we are in contact with them and monitoring their situation. They are not in an emergency situation," the statement adds.
However, the government recommends that if any Catalans are caught in danger, they should make contact through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the EU.
Spain to organize evacuation
The Spanish government will organize the evacuation of around a hundred citizens out of Israel to protect them from the escalation of hostilities seen in the past days.
Spain's acting Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Cadena Ser that, for now, the plan is to only evacuate citizens who are there for tourism or business and got stuck after commercial flights were canceled.
Catalan Socialist politician Josep Borrell, serving as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, invited Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, and his counterpart of the Palestinian National Authority, Riyad al-Maliki, to meet with European foreign ministers this Tuesday.
Borrell said that extending the invitation to the Palestinian representative was done to "present the vision of the Palestinian National Authority" on the situation.
The meeting will be held partially in person, with Borrell and some European ministers in Oman, and partially by video call.