Israelis repatriated after harrowing escape from Ukraine

Israelis landed back in Tel Aviv today to the tearful relief of relatives, as evacuations of nationals caught up in the Russian invasion of Ukraine gathered pace.

The evacuees had all been forced to make harrowing escapes by land through the war zone to board repatriation flights in neighbouring countries, after Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian traffic at the start of the invasion last week.

Many of the Israelis repatriated today were members of the 1948 Palestinian minority, who make up 20 percent of the country's population.

One of the first repatriation flights bringing home Israeli evacuees landed at Ben Gurion airport from Romania.

Badr Tawil, 23, a student who fled Ukraine's under-fire second city Kharkiv, said he had escaped chaos.

"We just woke up once and we heard the sounds around us. Bombs everywhere. So we decided to leave, just to leave Ukraine," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Monday his office had helped 4,000 Israelis leave Ukraine since Russia invaded.

"We will do everything to not leave any Israeli behind, or any Jew behind," he told journalists.

A student, who identified himself only as Hussein, described a terrifying escape from the war zone.

"For four days, we have been sleeping in staircases and train stations," he said. 

"We had a really difficult time without food. I was in Ukraine in Kharkiv. It is the last year of my studies, but now I left everything to return."

Uda Abu Saied, whose son Muhammad returned on the flight, said she had been terrified for his safety. 

"I wasn't sure if my son would return or not. He was in the most dangerous place," she said. 

"They went on their own with the bus for 24 hours, and I imagined all kinds of scenarios like a missile hitting and killing them, or maybe that they would get captured."