The UK government is organising repatriation flights from Israel as countries around the world scramble to evacuate citizens amid the mounting crisis.
The first of the flights are due to leave from Tel Aviv on Thursday after a series of airlines serving the UK and Israel suspended services due to the risk from rockets fired from the Gaza Strip by Hamas.
Rishi Sunak earlier offered UK support to Egypt to keep the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip open for humanitarian and consular reasons, including so that British nationals would be able to leave the besieged enclave.
An unknown number of British nationals are in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, while at least 17 UK nationals are reported to be either dead or missing, including children.
“Vulnerable British nationals will be prioritised for these flights. At this stage we will contact those who are eligible for the flights directly and British nationals should not make their way to the airport unless they are called,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement.
The flights are paid commercial flights costing £300 a ticket, which would be charged to the family or individual taking up the seat. The flights are being offered to British nationals as well as dual nationals and dependants if travelling with a British national normally resident in the UK. Families of British diplomats are also being evacuated from Israel as a “precautionary measure”.
The provision of repatriation flights came after British Airways and Virgin Atlantic suspended all services between the UK and Tel Aviv.
EasyJet, which was one of the first airlines to suspend flights at the weekend, said on Thursday that it was extending the pause until at least Monday but was evaluating the situation on a “day by day basis”.
Eastjet’s chief executive, Johan Lundgren, said the airline would like to restore the connections, including daily flights from London Luton and Gatwick airports in the UK, but if it “did not feel 100% confident, we’re not going to do it”.
While Ryanair had earlier said that it would be cutting back routes to Israel as bookings had collapsed, Lundgren said that he expected to keep flying to Tel Aviv once security allowed it, with strong demand.
Ryanair, which does not fly direct from the UK or Ireland to Israel but has numerous European connections to Tel Aviv, earlier indicated it would only restore services with state support. Its chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said Ben Gurion airport had asked it to restore some flights later this week “but it’s subject to security”, adding: “Bookings to and from Israel have collapsed so it’s up to governments to decide if we keep flying.”
British Airways suspended services on Wednesday, as did Virgin Atlantic. BA’s owners, IAG, said on Thursday it expected to be pulling out all its airlines, for three weeks.
Meanwhile, at least 100 people are believed to have travelled from the UK to Israel to serve in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as it mounts a retaliatory campaign against Hamas. The Israeli embassy in the UK said it was understood those who travelled were “reservists and active duty soldiers”.
Separately, the plight of British nationals and others trapped in Gaza was discussed in a telephone conversation on Thursday morning between the Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Sunak.
The Rafah crossing between Sinai and Gaza remains open, the Egyptian government said earlier on Thursday but it added that Egypt had asked Israel to avoid targeting the Palestinian side of the crossing.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister acknowledged the challenging security situation at the Rafah border crossing. He offered the UK’s support to try to manage this situation and keep the route open for humanitarian and consular reasons, including for British nationals.
Alicia Kearns, the chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, tweeted on Thursday that Israeli bombardment of the Rafah crossing must end.
“The crossing needs to be repaired so it can reopen fully for humanitarian aid deliveries from Egypt – which need commitments they won’t be targeted – and for refugees to be able to leave Gaza.”
