A total of 50 Cypriot citizens located in Israel and five who are located in Iran have requested to be repatriated, foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, he said that in addition, three people who had travelled to Israel as companions of Cypriot hospital patients in Israel for treatment have since crossed by land into Jordan “with the aim of returning to Cyprus on foreign aircraft”.

The 50 who remain in Israel at present, he said, are 12 patients, 11 companions, 12 Cypriot citizens who reside permanently in Israel, and 15 who were in Israel either for business purposes or as tourists when the missile strikes began.

However, he said, “for the time being, no air transport from Israel can be made”, but pointed out that two patients had been transferred back to Cyprus over the weekend.

Of the five Cypriots in Iran, he said developments may shortly be forthcoming.