Newcastle people stuck in Israel no longer face flight costs

The Newcastle trio, who remained stranded in Israel on Friday, accepted an offer of a Qantas repatriation flight to London after their Emirates flight was cancelled.

But their companions back home were outraged that the government told them they had to pay for hotel bills in London and their flights home.

Brittany West, who is helping them get home, said a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT] email offering them a spot on a Qantas flight stated that they would have to cover costs beyond the flight to London.

"I think they've done half the job they're supposed to do. I don't think they can call them repatriation flights," Ms West said on Friday morning.

"Obviously we're grateful they're taking the Australians out of Tel Aviv, but they're not doing their job of bringing them home."

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Transport Minister Catherine King responded in a joint statement at noon on Friday.

"Qantas has agreed to support Australians arriving in London on assisted-departure flights from Tel Aviv by offering an A380 flight from London to Sydney via Singapore free-of-charge," they said.

They added that a "government-supported charter" would also provide at least two flights from Israel to Dubai. This was separate to the two Qantas flights arranged from Israel to London.

The DFAT email that offered the Qantas flight had stated: "You will need to make your own arrangements from London, including accommodation, living expenses and any onward travel".

However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had said on Friday morning the government was getting Australians "out of the danger zone safely".

"And what Qantas is doing is putting in place now the logistics so that they'll be able to travel from London back to Australia via Singapore," Mr Albanese said.

"That's being organised as we speak. The priority has been, obviously, to get people out of a warzone. These are very complex logistics."

Mr Albanese said many Qantas staff had put their hand up to "volunteer to fly into what is a warzone to assist their fellow Australians".

The flight out of Tel Aviv, at 4.25pm on Friday, was listed as a "Royal Australian Air Force" plane on the Ben Gurion Airport website. A day earlier it was listed as a "Qantas" plane.

Given the security situation, this raised questions about whether the government had decided to send a military plane.

But Ms Wong's spokesperson said "that is the Qantas flight".

Newcastle East's Paul West led a group of 33 people, mostly from the Hunter, on a two-week pilgrimage of the Holy Land.

Mr West arrived home on Thursday morning, but five of the group remained stuck in Tel Aviv.

Mr West said on Friday morning that "the vast majority of the group are either home or landing this morning".

"For the five still over there, we are in constant communication with them. They are safe and well and have plans in place for returning," he said.

"We're obviously delighted to be back. Our first day back was all about reconnecting with family. But now every spare minute, day and night, is involved in working on getting the others back or hearing their progress as they make their way home."

Ms West, Paul's daughter, said Emirates had cancelled all their flights into Tel Aviv.

"Three of the remainder of the group were booked on Emirates flights to leave Friday and Saturday," Ms West said.

This included Adamstown's Phil and Bronwyn Barnes, who had been due to depart Israel for Dubai on an Emirates flight on Friday night, Australian time.

"They have been offered spots on the repatriation flights. So they've taken those spots now, which is great. It's their only option now," Ms West said.

But the group, connected through Mayfield's Grainery Church, was intent on challenging the government's initial position on costs incurred after they land in London.

"Some of these families have already had huge expenses associated with flights being cancelled and extra hotel bookings," Ms West said.

"Not everybody has access to instant money to be doing that. And insurance won't be covering any of it because it's considered a warzone."

Mr West, a pastor at the church, told the Newcastle Herald from Tel Aviv on Monday that he had seen rockets exploding in the distance from his hotel and sounds of "thud, thud, thud".

They had to move quickly to a bomb shelter on the floor of their hotel each time sirens went off to warn of an incoming attack.

Group members were at the Gaza border having lunch a day before Hamas broke through and attacked that area.

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