The government of Ghana has said that it has successfully evacuated citizens from Israel following the escalation of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which has resulted in casualties and widespread destruction.
The evacuation forms part of an emergency preparedness plan activated earlier by the government, which also saw a partial evacuation of Ghana’s embassy in Tehran.
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The decision came after a joint US-Israeli military strike on Iran triggered retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf, placing Ghanaian nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates at risk.
Providing an update on the situation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed that the evacuation exercise in Israel had been successfully completed.
“Our evacuation operation in Israel has been a success. We have safely evacuated all Ghanaians who expressed the desire to be assisted by the Government of Ghana out of Israel back home,” he stated in a Facebook post on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
He added that the exercise also included some diplomatic staff from Ghana’s Embassy in Tel Aviv, although a few critical personnel have been retained to provide essential consular services.
“The evacuation also covered some diplomatic staff of Ghana’s Embassy in Tel Aviv as Government has decided to leave behind a few critical staff for necessary consular support,” he said.
The minister expressed appreciation to authorities in the region for their support during the operation.
“I convey our appreciation to Israeli and Egyptian authorities for the cooperation,” he noted.
Welcoming the evacuees back home, Ablakwa assured them that the government remains committed to protecting Ghanaians abroad as tensions persist in the region.
“We warmly welcome our compatriots who arrived in Ghana a few hours ago. The Mahama Administration will continue with safe evacuation efforts as we prioritize the welfare of all Ghanaians,” he added.
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel carried out a series of joint military strikes on Iran, with explosions reported in central Tehran.
The attacks followed the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with two aircraft carriers, including the USS Gerald R Ford, deployed to the region.
Iran's retaliation was swift and wide-ranging, targeting US military assets across the Gulf.
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The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the US Consulate in Dubai both issued shelter-in-place alerts for all staff, urging Americans in the UAE to take cover until further notice.
Qatar, home to the US Central Command's regional headquarters at Al-Udeid Air Base, was among the hardest hit, and had already prompted Ghana's Doha Embassy to issue its own shelter-in-place advisory to Ghanaians earlier in the day.
MAG/AE
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