Americans are still stuck in Israel, Gaza as war disrupts trips

Passengers wait in a queue, to enter a flight to Israel, at the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.

Thanassis Stavrakis/AP

Airlines and governments around the world were rushing to get visitors trapped by the raging conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip back home as the U.S. warns any future travelers to the area to rethink their plans.

The fighting started almost a week ago after Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,300 Israelis and taking some 150 hostages — some of whom are believed to be Americans.

Israel has retaliated with intense air strikes into the Gaza Strip, cutting off access to food, water and fuel for the 2.3 million residents there. Palestinian officials say at least 1,400 people were killed, an estimated 60% are women and children, and hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced.

The death and destruction of this latest conflict has forced many airlines to cancel flights to Tel Aviv, preventing foreign visitors in Gaza and Israel from returning home and disrupting Israel’s travel industry.

Tourism is a steady share of Israel’s economy, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2019, it directly accounted for 2.6% of the country’s GDP and 3.8% of total employment. With COVID-19, it dropped substantially as borders closed. As of 2023, the country was still struggling to fully rebound from pre-pandemic levels.

Flights out of Israel remain disrupted

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, the country’s largest and busiest, says it is still working as planned. Flights into Israel are still being…