Gaza death toll nears 1,200, number of displaced soars to 338,934 on Thursday. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

TEL AVIV — The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel said on Thursday that a group of 15 Vietnamese agricultural apprentices who are studying in an area near the Gaza Strip has been temporarily relocated to a safer location.

At present, there are about 100 Vietnamese interns at Agrostudies, an international centre for agricultural studies in Israel. Out of them, 15 were residing near the town of Sderot, an area with high risk of being hit by conflicts between the Hamas movement and Israel. The remainders are living and studying in various locations throughout Israel.

With the support of the Vietnamese Embassy and community, they were arranged into small groups and relocated to the city of Malakhi, about 40 km away from the Gaza Strip, to ensure their safety in the coming days.

Amid escalating tensions and potential security instability in the northern region of Israel, the Vietnamese Embassy on October 11 recommended to the Vietnamese community remain calm and strictly follow regulations and instructions provided by the local administration and relevant authorities to ensure their security and safety. They were also encouraged to keep regular contact with the embassy, especially in urgent cases.

Those who wish to return to Việt Nam or move to a third country must proactively and promptly seek the most suitable commercial flights. At present, the Ben Gurion International Airport is still operational, and many major airlines maintain services to and from Israel, despite reduced frequencies.

Apart from some 500 Vietnamese expatriates in Israel, there are roughly 180 Vietnamese students who have come to Israel to study through agricultural internship programmes. This number is significantly lower than in previous years. — VNS