Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday ordered that the procedure for handling refugees from Ukraine be changed immediately and that those waiting at Ben Gurion Airport be transferred to a hotel, where they will stay until a decision is made in their case.
Shaked thanked Defense Minister Benny Gantz for the prompt assistance and mobilization of the Home Front Command for this purpose.
Gantz, who accepted Shaked's request, held a quick dialogue within the defense establishment in order to bring about a temporary solution that will lead to the immediate evacuation of those waiting at Ben Gurion Airport.
At the end of the consultation, the decision was made to immediately allocate dozens of available rooms at the Dan Panorama Hotel, which is also used for COVID-19 isolation for returnees from abroad. It is expected that those refugees who are waiting at the airport will be transferred to the hotel on Thursday night.
On Friday, there will be a joint tour of all relevant parties, including the head of the National Emergency Management Agency, Brigadier General (Res.) Yoram Laredo and IDF representatives, in order to arrange the entrance procedure for those arriving from Ukraine.
After the tour, the Minister of Defense will conduct a situation assessment with representatives of the defense establishment regarding the immediate assistance required with the internal and absorption factors.
On Thursday morning, Gantz said, "We are ready to accept many refugees from Ukraine until the end of the fighting, for which we pray, and we are working towards that. Therefore, we will reach and help every Jew, rescue him, and ensure good and sensitive immigration and absorption here in Israel. In this context, the IDF and the defense establishment will also be fully mobilized, as it was during the Aliyah in the 1990s, and as in any national challenge that has come before us. We are preparing for this, and we will provide any assistance that is required and that the IDF can provide."