Amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine war following a massive terror attack on Israel by Hamas, Air India announced today (8 October) that its flights to and from Israel will remain suspended till October 14 in view of the war-like situation in Israel.
“Our flights to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended till 14th October 2023, for the safety of our passengers and crew. Air India will extend all possible support to passengers who have confirmed bookings on any flight during this period,” Tata group owned Air India posted on X.
Prior to the suspension, Air India operated five flights to Tel Aviv, Israel every week. This covers a flight to and from each of the following days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The formal notice of flight suspension till October 14 came one day after the airline stopped all services to Tel Aviv on Saturday (7th October).
This comes as Israel launched Operation Iron Sword against Hamas on 7 October after the Palestinian Islamist terror group launched a massive multi-front attack on Israel. The attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), popularly known by its acronym Hamas, has left more than 600 people dead and over 2000 injured in the Jewish nation in one of the deadliest terror attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “mighty vengeance for this wicked day” as Israeli air raids pounded Gaza over the course of the night and killed more than 400 Palestinian terrorists as well as destroyed structures, tunnels and the homes of senior Hamas figures in operation ‘Iron Swords’. The crisis could potentially escalate as Israel attacked a Hezbollah militia target in southern Lebanon.
As reported earlier, the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv issued an important advisory on Saturday for Indians in Israel. The Indian authorities advised all Indian nationals in Israel to remain vigilant and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities.