Yoon and U.S. senators 'condemn' Hamas attack on Israel

President Yoon Suk Yeol and a U.S. Senate delegation on Wednesday condemned the militant group Hamas’ attack on Israel and agreed that Seoul and Washington should play a “constructive role” in resolving the situation...

A father hugs his daughter, just returning from a short-term visit to Israel, at the Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. She was among 192 Koreans who flew out of Israel on the first direct flight to Korea since the attack by the Hamas militant group on Saturday. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and a U.S. Senate delegation on Wednesday condemned the militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel and agreed that Seoul and Washington should play a “constructive role” in resolving the situation.

At his office, Yoon met with a visiting delegation of U.S. senators led by Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and discussed major alliance, regional and international issues.

Yoon and the U.S. Senate delegation condemned Hamas's “indiscriminate attacks on Israel and agreed that Korea and the United States should play a constructive role in ensuring that this situation is quickly ended so that tensions in the region can be eased and stability achieved,” the presidential office said in a statement.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel Saturday, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare, “We are at war.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during an emergency meeting with his aides discussing the security situation in Israel at the presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korea's Foreign Ministry is helping over 200 Korean tourists remaining in Israel find land and air routes out of the country.

The ministry's efforts come as 192 Koreans flew in on Wednesday, the first group to return home from Israel since Hamas unleashed its attacks on Saturday.

The Korean nationals flew into Incheon International Airport at 6:06 a.m. Wednesday on Korean Air flight KE958, departing from Tel Aviv the day before.

According to the ministry, another 60 tourists traveled to Jordan by road, leaving a total of 230 short-term visitors from Korea in Israel as of Wednesday morning.

Apart from the tourists, some 570 long-term residents of Korean nationality were estimated to be in Israel as of Wednesday.

Of these residents, some 210 were believed to be in Tel Aviv, around 290 in Jerusalem, another 20 in the West Bank and five in Gaza.

The residents in Gaza were “deemed to be safe” as of Tuesday, according to Foreign Minister Park Jin.

No Koreans have been reported injured or killed in Israel, according to the ministry.

Israeli soldiers carry the body of a victim of an attack by Hamas militants at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, on Tuesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Israel's authorities put the death toll of Israelis at more than 1,200 on Wednesday. Additional media reports cited Israeli sources claiming the bodies of around 1,500 Hamas fighters had been found on Israeli territory.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health put the death toll of civilians at 950 on Wednesday.

Most Korean tourists who returned Wednesday had stayed far from areas under alert.

“Some stores were closed, and lots of tanks and armored vehicles were on the streets,” said Cho Jun-ho, speaking with reporters at the airport upon returning from Israel on Wednesday.

He had gone on a pilgrimage trip with 40 church members in Siheung, Gyeonggi.

Smoke billows during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Another evacuee, Lee Gil-won, was also in Israel with 30 other Koreans as part of a group pilgrimage to the sites when he hurried back on the first direct flight back to Korea since the conflict erupted Saturday.

“There are still 13 members left in Israel. I hope the Korean government can help them return,” he said.

Experts and the president have noted the complexity of the conflict in Israel.

“As Iran and Hezbollah support Hamas, and the United States, Britain, France and Germany support Israel's right to self-defense, the possibility that this situation may escalate into an international conflict cannot be ruled out,” said President Yoon Suk Yeol in the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Some civic groups held rallies in Seoul in support of the Palestinians.

Around 150 foreigners and 50 Korean nationals gathered in downtown Seoul on Wednesday, shouting “Free, free Palestine” repeatedly.

“Israel is now bombing the buildings, the hospitals, the ambulance and everywhere. There is no place safe in Palestine right now,” said Abu Anas from Yemen, who came to Korea nine years ago and participated in Wednesday’s rally. “So we came here to say this is not right.”

A rally held in Seoul on Wednesday by civic groups supporting Palestinians. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

The protesters marched down to the Israeli Embassy in Seoul until the police resisted them as they attempted to submit a protest letter to the embassy. Korea's Israeli community was also said to be planning rallies in Seoul.

The Embassy of Israel in Korea issued a statement on Sunday condemning the attack against Israeli citizens.

“This is an attack initiated by terrorist organizations led by Hamas, one launched with no legitimate pretext or provocative prior action on the part of Israel,” said the embassy in its statement on Sunday.

Protesters including Israelis residing in Japan, hold ″Stand-with-Israel″ rally demanding immediate release of all hostages captured during the ongoing conflict with Hamas, in front of Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

According to the embassy, Hamas took over control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority in 2007.

“This attack came after a long period in which Israel strove to bring calm to the Gaza Strip through its extensive efforts to improve the economic situation of Palestinians, emphasizing long-term projects in Gaza,” it said. “Israel is preparing for a prolonged military response to remove the threat posed by the terrorist organization.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG, CHO JUNG-WOO, LEE BO-RAM [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]