Israel to utilize cruise ships to rescue citizens stranded abroad

Some 200,000 Israelis are believed to be stranded abroad with no way to fly home.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israel’s Ministry of Transportation confirmed on Monday that it plans to utilize two cruise ships to rescue Israelis stranded abroad, bringing them home by sea via Cyprus as Israel’s airspace remains closed for the foreseeable future.

The two ships, owned by Israel’s Mano Shipping Company, can accommodate some 2,000 people each.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, up to 200,000 Israelis are believed to be stuck abroad, with no option for flying back to Israel.

Details about the plan for repatriation via sea were scarce. The Ministry of Transportation said that Mano Shipping would handle all logistics, including selling tickets to those interested in returning to Israel via boat.

The ministry also stressed that it is awaiting approval from the Homefront Command and Defense Ministry before authorizing the route, with no estimate for when those entities could determine it is safe for Israelis to return on the rescue boats.

“Mano Shipping is a private company, and all arrangements for the voyage are managed directly by it,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement.

“Once the company publishes a registration link, the public will be able to book and purchase tickets through its website or platform. All reservations, payments, and related details are exclusively handled by Mano.”

While land crossings with Egypt and Jordan remain open, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has issued a Level 4 travel warning for those countries.

In a statement, the NSC has recommended that Israelis abroad wait until the airport reopens, rather than risk traveling through the land crossings.

Recent days have seen thousands of Israelis who were abroad during the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war last Friday travel to Greece and Cyprus.

After numerous airlines cancelled flights to Israel in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks and Houthi missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport in May, the Israeli government arranged rescue flights departing from Athens and Larnaca.

Numerous airplanes owned by Israeli airlines El Al, Israir, and Arkia were immediately flown to an airport in Cyprus following the outbreak of the war.

As of now, the Israeli government has maintained that Israelis should not travel to Greece and Cyprus, saying there are no immediate plans to accommodate Israelis wishing to fly home from those countries.