Israel is using container ships to repatriate dozens of doctors stranded abroad since the start of the air war with Iran on Saturday, which has severely disrupted air traffic. The operation is being coordinated with the Israeli shipping company ZIM Shipping, according to a company official.
Cargo ships are shuttling between Limassol, Cyprus, and the Israeli port of Haifa. This initiative, a collaboration between the Israeli Ministry of Transport, the country’s major hospitals, and ZIM Shipping, aims to facilitate the rapid return of essential medical personnel.
At this stage, 40 doctors have already been repatriated in two sea crossings, one of which took place on Tuesday. Further voyages are planned throughout the week to potentially bring back hundreds more medical professionals, as the country grapples with injuries caused by Iranian missiles.
“It’s the easiest way to get them home when there are no flights,” said a ZIM official, who requested anonymity. The doctors were abroad for conferences or vacations and want to “return to work as quickly as possible in case of an emergency,” he added.
To carry out this operation, the shipping company diverted some vessels from their usual routes between Israel and Mediterranean ports, particularly in Greece and Italy. Temporary accommodations were installed on board to ensure the safety and a minimum level of comfort for the doctors during the approximately 15-hour crossing from Cyprus.
The bombings launched on Saturday by Israel and the United States against Iran triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, severely disrupting transport and air links in the region.
