European and U.S. airlines – including American, Delta and United – have resumed flights to Israel following a negotiated cease-fire between the Israelis and Hamas.
Violence between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that has long protested the Israelis’ occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, intensified earlier this month to include rocket attacks at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
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That prompted airlines to suspend operations.
But the cease-fire has stopped the violence, if not frayed nerves, and airlines quickly pivoted. United, Delta and American said Friday they are resuming flights to Tel Aviv, according to The Times of Israel.
Delta flew from New York to Tel Aviv on Friday night, with a return trip happening on Sunday. The airline said it will “closely monitor the security situation and will make adjustments to our flight schedules as necessary,” spokesman Morgan Durrant told the paper.
United also resumed service Friday night, with a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv. A spokeswoman said the airline plans to also resume flights from Chicago and San Francisco over the weekend. United halted flights from all three cities to Israel on May 12.
As for American, the airline said it will restart its New York-Tel Aviv flights on Monday.
Lufthansa, Austrian and Swiss airlines will restart flights on Sunday; Emirates Airlines and FlyDubai never stopped flying between Israel and the Gulf.
