The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was forced to abandon the plane due to a missile alert shortly before departure from Tel Aviv.
Passengers were asked to lie down on the airport runway.
#Raketenalarm in Tel Aviv. Die Regierungsmaschine wird umgehend evakuiert. @Bundeskanzler wird in einen Schutzraum gebracht. Wir legen uns vor dem Flugzeug auf den Boden. @robinalexander_ @frautoroxel pic.twitter.com/OTWV55KUoA
— Sara Sievert (@sara__si) October 17, 2023
As Welt reports, there were also journalists in the mission who were forced to lie down on the track.
Two Hamas rockets were intercepted over the airport by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
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The chancellor did not lie down, but instead he was taken to a nearby container and from there to a shelter.
After a few minutes, the passengers were able to board the plane again.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said today that he discussed ways to get humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, saying he would also raise the issue with Egypt’s President Fatah al-Sisi.
