On Tuesday evening, 106 Croatian nationals, including two groups of pilgrims, took off aboard an Israeli plane from Tel Aviv to Ljubljana, from where they will return home by organised transport, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said.

“This completes the repatriation of the Croatian citizens who have been on a visit to Israel and who have requested and accepted assistance to leave Israel,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry said it stands at the disposal of Croatian citizens in Israel, including those with dual citizenship, through the Croatian Embassy in Tel Aviv.

The Ministry thanked all international partners, as well as the Montenegrin authorities, for their assistance in the repatriation of four Croatian citizens on Tuesday morning.

On Saturday, Hamas launched an offensive against Israel from Gaza using rockets and infiltrating its fighters in the south of Israel where they killed civilians and took hostages, including foreign nationals. Israel immediately retaliated by bombing the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, Israel bombed the Gaza Strip in the heaviest attack in the 75-year history of the conflict with the Palestinians, razing entire neighborhoods to the ground even as Hamas threatened to execute one Israeli hostage for every home destroyed.