Amid conflicts between
Israel and Hamas militant group in Gaza, Air India has suspended its scheduled
flights to Tel Aviv till November 30.
Air India has not
operated a scheduled flight to and from Tel Aviv since October 7, the day Hamas
militants stormed into Israeli territory, killing hundreds and taking people
hostages.
“Flights to Tel
Aviv have been suspended till November 30,” said an airline spokesperson on
November 5.
In the normal
course, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights from national
capital Delhi to Tel Aviv. The airline offers service on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Under the Indian Government’s
Operation Ajay, Air India operated a few chartered flights from the national
capital to Tel Aviv last month to bring back Indians who wished to come back
from Israel against the backdrop of the heightening conflict.
Hundreds of Hamas
gunmen stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killed over 1,400 people and
took 240 plus hostage.
In retaliation, Israel
has launched an intense air and ground offensive in Gaza since the initial
Hamas attack, killing over 9,000 people according to health authorities in the
Hamas-run area. Large areas of the Gaza enclave have turned to rubble.
Thousands of
protestors demonstrated in Tel Aviv, waved flags and held photographs of some
of the captives in Gaza on November 4. Public fury and anger are growing among
the citizens of Israel who are calling for their relatives, taken captives by
Hamas, to be brought home.
On Saturday,
protesters gathered in large numbers outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s residence.
They also raised
slogans such as “release the hostages now at all costs” and brought with them
posters delivering the same message while crowds chanted, “bring them home now.”
This protest coincided with a poll indicating that over three quarters of
Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign.
PTI
