Tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad as Iran war continues

While many have stayed put, others are flying into Cyprus and Greece to be closer to Israel when the skies open.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Tens of thousands of Israelis have been stranded abroad since Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran early Friday morning and announced the immediate closure of its airspace.

Most travelers have checked into hotels where they had already been staying, or extended their stay with relatives or friends.

Others tried to get closer to Israel, possibly in the hopes of taking advantage of rescue flights, which have yet to begin operating.

Cyprus and Greece were suddenly two very popular destinations.

The Chabad outreach center in Cyprus, for example, reported that between all the main cities of the island, they hosted 2,400 people over the Sabbat who had landed there because they couldn’t get to Ben Gurion Airport.

The Israel Airport Authority (IAA) has tried to warn citizens not to take that route, saying that there is “no recommendation…to travel to Larnaca or Athens at this stage…. Even when the security establishment allows the resumption of flights, the rate of flights will be limited to minimize risks and maintain the safety of passengers and aircraft.”

The IAA did state that it is working on a plan, together with various airlines and the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, to bring Israelis back to the country when it becomes possible, adding that this could be several days from now.

“A decision on the return of flights to Israel will only be made when we know that it is safe,” the authority said. Nevertheless, “all air crews and aircraft are ready for action as soon as this becomes possible.”

Prospective passengers will receive six hours’ advance notice of the reopening of the country’s airports,the IAA said, requesting that citizens please “act responsibly” and “wait for official updates.”

Those who went to Cyprus and Greece seem to have been prescient. Israel Hayom reported Saturday that hours before the airstrikes began, dozens of planes, together with their air crews, were transferred to those countries at the direction of Transportation Minister Miri Regev and with the cooperation of the foreign governments.

There was a dual purpose to this move: first, to keep them safe, as Israel’s only international airport would be an obvious target for Iran’s wrath, and second, to enable them to help return thousands of stranded Israelis as soon as the airspace opened.

Some people are determined to get back home now, no matter how long or arduous the trip.

Ynet reported on the D. family, who flew from Los Angeles to Paris to Cyprus. From Larnaca, they then took a flight to Aqaba in Jordan, where they crossed the Gulf by boat to the Sinai Peninsula.

They then continued overland to the Egyptian-Israel border at Taba, where they finally crossed into Israel.

The land bridges from Jordan are also open at this time.

According to the Population and Immigration Authority, there are currently 56,100 tourists in Israel who are also unable to fly home due to the Iran-Israel hostilities.