Dozens of airlines have suspended flights to Israel in response to the conflict between the Middle Eastern country and the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, storming into villages on a killing spree and launching thousands of rockets in violence that has left at least 1,200 Israelis dead. More than 100 have been taken into the enclave as hostages. Some 1,055 Palestinians have died as Israel responded by bombarding the enclosed area with airstrikes, according to Gaza health officials. Israel has formed an emergency government and has been amassing troops and military vehicles at its southern border with Gaza as it prepares for what looks like a ground operation into the Strip.
Israel’s main international airport has remained open, and most Israeli airlines are still operating. Ben Gurion Airport, just outside Tel Aviv, has remained open since the fighting first began, but hundreds of flights have been canceled or delayed. Thousands of passengers remain stranded in the country as the barrages of rockets from Hamas continue. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an “extreme caution” notice for airlines flying over Israel airspace.
Around 50% of all flights from the airport did not take off Sunday, and about a third were canceled on Monday, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
