10 October 2023 , 10:15
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The Foreign Office has updated its Israel travel advice and warned against all but essential travel to Israel.
It comes after the Palestinian militant group Hamas invaded Israel on Saturday and attacked areas close to the Gaza border, before being countered with a series of crushing airstrikes.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed 900 Israelis have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Hamas militants have threatened to kill one Israeli civilian captive any time Israel targets civilians at their homes in Gaza "without prior warning", as authorities confirmed the bodies of 1,500 Hamas militants have been found on Israeli territory.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a Cobra meeting this week. Around 50,000 to 60,000 British nationals are believed to be in either Israel and Gaza, the Government estimates, amid concerns for their safety.
Palestinian men walk through the debris in front of a destroyed building (AFP via Getty Images)Following the violence, a number of airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, and are currently offering passengers options to rebook for a later date or request a refund. As the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel, if you travel to Israel for non-essential reasons it's most likely that your travel insurance will be void, as you're going against the official advice.
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Understandably, some Brits have been wary of also travelling to neighbouring countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Cyprus. However, it's worth noting that at the time of writing the Foreign Office doesn't warn against travel to these destinations, and flights to these places are operating.
While it has an 'all but essential travel' warning to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Foreign Office has advised against all travel to certain regions including:
- Gaza
- the Sheba’a Farms and Ghajjar
- within 500m of the border with Lebanon (the ‘Blue Line’) east of Metula, including the northern edge of the town and within 500m of the border with Syria (the ‘Alpha Line’)
- the area close to the border with Gaza that includes:
- southwest of Ashkelon
- south of route 35 and west of route 40 as far as Tlalim, not including Be’er Sheva
- west of Be’er Sheva
- north of route 211
Here we take a look at the airlines and travel companies that offer flights/holidays to Israel - and what to do if you have a holiday booked.
easyJet
easyJet has currently suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 17, and has said it will contact those due to travel. Customers with flight-only bookings will be able to request a full refund, a voucher for the full value of their flight, or to change their flight dates free of charge.
Customers who have booked an easyJet holidays package, before October 21, will be offered the option to change their destination with no fee, or cancel their holiday and receive the amount back as easyJet holidays credit so they can book a different holiday at a later date.
British Airways
British Airways has temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv. In a statement, the airline said: "Safety is always our highest priority and following the latest assessment of the situation we’re suspending our flights to and from Tel Aviv. We’re contacting customers booked to travel to or from Tel Aviv to apologise for the inconvenience and offer options including a full refund and rebooking with another airline or with British Airways at a later date. We continue to monitor the situation in the region closely."
Wizz Air
The budget carrier has cancelled all of its Israel flights until October 13. An alert issued on its website reads: "Attention all passengers travelling to/from Israel. Due to the escalation of the conflict in Israel, Wizz Air cancels all of its Israel flights for 8-10 October. Affected passengers are notified via sms/email. Further updates regarding flights to/from Israel beyond 10 October will be issued in due course. If you are to travel on Israel flights in the next days please proactively check Flight Info for the latest updates on your departure."
Ryanair
The budget carrier is currently cancelling flights until October 11. A statement issued on Monday on its website explained: "We have regrettably been forced to cancel flights to/from Tel Aviv Airport between Mon 9 - Wed 11 Oct due to operational restrictions beyond Ryanair’s control. Affected passengers will be notified of their options to either change flight or to receive a full refund by email/SMS. Ryanair apologises for these unavoidable cancellations, and we advise all passengers due to travel to/from Tel Aviv between Mon 9 - Wed 11 Oct to check the Ryanair App for the latest flight status updates."
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic suspended flights on Wednesday for 72 hours. A statement explains: "Due to the ongoing situation in Israel, some of our flights to and from Tel Aviv may face delays or cancellations. Based on the latest information, we have taken the decision to pause flying to and from Tel Aviv for the next 72 hours.
"The safety and security of our customers and our people are our number one priority and our flying programme to Israel remains under constant review. We would advise anyone booked to travel to check their flight status on the website before travelling to the airport.
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"As a result, we have cancelled the following flights:
- VS453 departing at 22:10 local from London Heathrow-Tel Aviv 10th October - 27th October
- VS454 departing at 05:55 local from Tel Aviv-London Heathrow 11th October - 28th October
- VS457 departing at 08:50 local from London Heathrow-Tel Aviv 12th October – 15th October
- VS458 departing 16:25 local from Tel Aviv-London Heathrow 12th October – 15th October
"If you were booked to travel on a cancelled service between the 17th and 28th October, your flight will still show as operating until the changes have been made in our system this Saturday."
- For further information head to the Foreign Office's Israel travel advice.
- Airlines are extending suspension dates - this article will be updated to reflect any changes.