An estimated 100,000 Israelis are currently stranded outside of Israel.
Among the thousands of passengers left without a way home are dozens of Israelis who were stuck for hours on a plane.
Eran Feitelovich, who was on a flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai, told Channel 12 News' Dean Fisher that while passengers were still in the boarding bridge, an alert was heard announcing the start of the operation.
"We asked to get off the plane, but were told it was impossible," said Reuven Kim, another passenger on the flight. According to him, the aircraft waited about 50 minutes on the runway during the sirens before eventually taking off.
Only after landing did passengers realize it was an emergency situation.
"It took almost an hour before a refueling truck even arrived, and then they said we had landed because of bombings near Abu Dhabi. All that time, no one explained what was happening," he said.
Dozens of Israelis are still on the plane without clear answers. Eran said the passengers understand that the regional airspace has been completely closed, saying, "We’re here in Saudi Arabia on the plane. We can’t get off and don’t know what will happen to us. There are families with children and elderly people here. Total uncertainty."
Meanwhile, El Al is preparing a rescue operation to bring Israelis currently abroad back home. Once aviation activity resumes and approval is granted to operate rescue flights to Israel, El Al ticket holders will be prioritized for the flights.
At this stage, tickets cannot be purchased for El Al flights until March 21 or until all existing El Al ticket holders have been assigned to rescue flights. The sales suspension is intended to give full priority to customers whose tickets were issued before the current situation and to ensure that they are able to fly as soon as possible.
Ticketed customers will be automatically assigned to flights, and El Al will proactively update them regarding their new departure times. According to the current situation assessment, there is no need at this stage to reroute to other global destinations.
As of now, all El Al flights through March 1, 2026 (inclusive), have been canceled. Customers whose flights were canceled due to the security situation are entitled to a refund or a travel voucher.