British Airways cancels flight to Tel Aviv amid escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Airline cites security concerns as fighting in Gaza intensifes

UK urging Israel and Palestine to de-escalate, says Middle East minister

UK urging Israel and Palestine to de-escalate, says Middle East minister
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British Airways cancelled a flight to and from Tel Aviv later on Thursday due to continuing Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

The airline said the safety and security of its customers was a priority and that it would continue to monitor the situation.

BA is the latest international carrier to cancel flights to Israel after major US airlines did so on Wednesday.

The fiercest hostilities in years continued on Thursday, with Israel preparing ground troops along the Gaza border.

Hamas earlier launched dozens of rockets at Israel after Israeli air strikes killed senior commanders and destroyed a tower block in Gaza

The escalation of the violence that broke on Monday sparked street fights between Jews and Israeli Arabs.

British airline easyJet said it was not yet cancelling its flights to Tel Aviv. Its next flight to the destination is from Berlin and not scheduled until May 16, with a service from London Luton to Tel Aviv due on May 18.

"We will of course continue to monitor the situation," an easyJet spokeswoman said.

From Monday, Israel is one of the few low-risk destinations on Britain's Covid-19 green list, allowing travellers to visit without needing to quarantine on their return.