Tokyo, Nov 3 (EFE).- A Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) plane was scheduled to land in Japanese territory on Friday with 46 citizens of Japan and three other Asian countries aboard.
This is the second time a SDF plane has undertaken such an operation since the start of the war between Israel and Palestine last month.
The KC-767 plane, carrying 20 Japanese, 15 South Koreans, 4 Vietnamese, one Taiwanese and six foreign family members, took off from Israel on Thursday night, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The evacuation takes place amid continuing heavy clashes between Israeli troops and militants of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has exceeded 9,000.
Fighting has also intensified on the border with Lebanon between Israeli troops and Lebanese militias.
At the end of October, another Japanese KC-767 plane arrived from Tel Aviv in Japan with 60 Japanese and 18 South Koreans as well as five family members of different nationalities on board.
Japan has deployed military aircraft to the Middle East following the conflict.
Two C-2 transport airplanes are currently on standby in Jordan for possible evacuations of Japanese citizens, according to the foreign ministry. EFE
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