Airlines cancel flights to Israel due to ongoing Hamas attack

Several airlines began canceling flights from the United States to Israel on Saturday after Hamas militants took the Middle Eastern country by surprise with a multi-pronged attack that has claimed hundreds of lives and appears far from over.

The US Embassy in Israel said early Saturday that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport remained open, but noted that the security situation and staff availability could affect flights. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for information.

Embassy employees are under quarantine.

Delta, United and American Airlines canceled direct flights scheduled for Saturday and Sunday to Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main commercial air hub.

American told HuffPost in a statement that it is waiving transfer fees for flights to Israel until next week and will “continue to monitor the situation with a focus on safety and security, and will adjust our operations as necessary.” United also said it was “monitoring the situation closely.”

German airline Lufthansa told CNN in a statement that one flight would operate from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt this weekend, but others had been cancelled.

Fire and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Saturday after militant Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip overran the heavily fortified Israeli border.

Some Tel Aviv-bound planes were diverted mid-flight when fighting began: A Ryanair flight from Berlin was forced to return to its original destination, as was a United flight from San Francisco, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website . .

El Al flights appear to be operating normally. Israel’s national airline equips its planes with missile defense systems and has continued to fly in the past when other airlines have grounded their planes. A CNN crew landed at Ben Gurion Airport. documented the scene on the ground when sirens began sounding Saturday.

The US State Department had already warned Americans against traveling to the Gaza Strip before the Hamas attack and advised caution when traveling to Israel in general due to the threat of terrorism.

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Early Saturday, Hamas militants began firing thousands of rockets from Gaza, a strip of land adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, at cities and towns in southern and central Israel. The violence is considered the worst attack on Israel since the 1973 conflict between the country and its Arab neighbors.

In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation that they were “at war” and that “the enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”

In addition to the military, Israeli civilians were killed and wounded, and Hamas militants took hostages back to the Gaza Strip, the American embassy in Israel said. President Joe Biden said “entire families” were taken hostage in brief remarks pledging support for Israel.

Any US citizens in the Gaza Strip wishing to leave the strip are directed to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

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