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☆ No 'credible plan': U.S.' Blinken issues harshest criticism yet of Israel's Gaza operations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven't seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza is over, and we still haven't seen that." The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities in the besieged enclave. We're seeing parts of Gaza that Israel has cleared of Hamas where Hamas is coming back, including in the north, including in Khan Younis," Blinken said. Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in eastern Rafah, Gaza on May 07, 2024.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mike Herzog, Evelyn Hockstein, Blinken, Biden, Joe Biden, Ashraf Amra, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Abed Rahim Khatib, We've Organizations: Ben, Reuters U.S, CBS, Israel, Administration, Anadolu, Getty, Hamas, State Department, NBC Locations: U.S, Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Deir, Balah, Palestinian, America, Egypt

☆ Flights are still being disrupted and rerouted after Iran's attack on Israel. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British low-cost carrier easyJet on Tuesday said it was extending its suspension of Israel flights for the remainder of the summer season, until Oct. 27, and would refund customers due to fly. Rival Wizz Air resumed flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday but said passengers may experience "schedule changes" and that it was monitoring the situation. Dutch airline KLM canceled flights to Israel until Apr. Air India said it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and its Tuesday service was listed as canceled. Germany's Lufthansa Group said it had resumed flights to Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil on Tuesday, but had canceled flights to Tehran and Beirut up until Thursday.

Organizations: Sunday, Wizz Air, KLM, Air, Germany's Lufthansa Group Locations: Ben Gurion, Iran, Tel Aviv, Israel, British, Air India, Amman, Erbil, Tehran, Beirut

☆ An Arms Smugger, a Daring Heist, and the Birth of Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Joining the Haganah, Schwimmer discovered, wasn't as easy as just strolling through the door. "He felt he had to do his part in creating a Jewish state, so this could never happen again," Schwimmer recalled. Rather than melt down the surplus weapons for scrap, Liff told Greenspun to take as much as he wanted — free of charge. "It went against the grain to buck the same government we had fought to preserve only a few years before," Hank Greenspun recalled. In 2001, at the urging of Brian Greenspun, Schwimmer received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton.

Persons: Danny Schwimmer, They'd, Rina, Al —, David Ben, Gurion, Al Schwimmer, Schwimmer, Bugsy Siegel's, Meyer Lansky, Frank Sinatra, Sinatra, —, Boaz Dvir, Israel —, Danny, Al, I've, Hank Greenspun, Greenspun, Brian, Adolph, Dick Tracy, " Schwimmer, Wing Walker, America, Yehuda Arazi, Arazi, they'd, Schwimmer's, Sam Lewis, Leo Gardner, Milton, Milt, Rubenfeld, Paul Reubens, Herman, Reubens, Bugsy Siegel, Siegel, — Schwimmer, Nathan Liff, Liff, PhotoQuest, Bernarr McFadden, Pat, Ptacek, Rafael Trujillo, Teddy Kollek, Erwin Johnson, Bill Gerson, Gerson, Bud King, Gerson's, Ben, Joel Kimmel, Lewis, Lansky, hadn't, Tommy, Messerschmitts, David, Milt Rubenfeld, Israel, Charlie Winters, Winters, weren't, aren't, America's, Joseph McCarthy, John F, Kennedy, Brian Greenspun, Golda Meir, Bill Clinton Organizations: Israeli Air Force, TWA, Haganah, United Nations, Lockheed Air, Los Angeles Examiner, USC, Getty, US Naval, Schwimmer Aviation, FBI, UN, Customs Service, Palestine . Volunteers, Embassy, Israel, Service Airways, State Department, BI, Pepsi, Zionist, Nazi, Star, American, Avia, Messerschmitt, Pennsylvania State University who's, Las, Sun, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, they're, Israeli Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Connecticut, Palestine, New York, Copacabana, United States, Hungary, Auschwitz, storages, Arizona, Bridgeport, Rome, Burbank , California, Burbank, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Oahu, Santa Claus, California, Washington, Burbank ., Acapulco, Mexico, it's, Mexico City, Central, South America, Dominican Republic, China, America, Mexican, Panama, Panamanian, Corsica, Oklahoma, Detroit, Suriname, Brazil, Senegal, Casablanca, Sicily, Catania, Europe, Czechoslovakia, Czech, Egypt, Cairo, Los Angeles, American, Gaza, Iran

☆ 'America's greatest gift to Israel'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

As the country's founder and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, once declared, "America's greatest gift to Israel was Al Schwimmer." Joining the Haganah, Schwimmer discovered, wasn't as easy as just strolling through the door. "He felt he had to do his part in creating a Jewish state, so this could never happen again," Schwimmer recalled. Rather than melt down the surplus weapons for scrap, Liff told Greenspun to take as much as he wanted — free of charge. In 2001, at the urging of Brian Greenspun, Schwimmer received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton.

☆ Air Traffic Climbs at Israel's Tel Aviv Airport in 2023 but War Weighs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Steven ScheerJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Air travel to and from Israel plunged in the last three months of 2023 amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the number of passengers travelling through Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv still rose 10% in 2023. The number of international travellers reached 21.1 million in 2023, up from 19.2 million in 2022, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said in a report on Sunday. But since then, traffic has plunged, culminating in a 78% drop in November and 71% dive in December, the IAA said. Ryanair was third with a 5.4% share, although its number of passengers dipped 12% in 2023. In 2023, 3 million tourists visited Israel, up from 2.7 million in 2022.

Persons: Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Ben Gurion, Oz, Israel . Bar Oz, Steven Scheer, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Ben Gurion, Israel Airports Authority, Palestinian, Hamas, IAA, Al Israel Airlines, Ryanair, Israel ., Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Tel Aviv . Air France Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, El Al, United States, York's JFK, France, Britain, Austrian, Aegean

☆ Family of Last Child Hostages in Gaza Await Their Return
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Eli BerlzonHOLON, Israel (Reuters) - Yosi Shnaider watched a home video on his phone from his apartment near Tel Aviv. Hamas infiltrators seized the Bibas family, along with more than 200 other people, during the Oct. 7 killing spree through southern Israeli towns that sparked the devastating war in Gaza. More than 100 hostages were freed in a week-long truce that ended on Friday, but the Bibas family - two children and their parents - were not. "And I'm thinking to myself, a young baby, small baby like Kfir, is crying. After two months in captivity, their age and ginger hair have caused the Bibas children to stand out among the scores of hostages.

Persons: Eli Berlzon HOLON, Yosi Shnaider, Ariel Bibas, Ariel, Kfir, he's, Shiri Bibas, Yarden, Shnaider, Shira Bibas, Eli Berlzon, Michal Yaakov Itzhaki, Ari Rabinovitch, Howard Goller Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza

☆ Gulf Air exposed to data breach, 'vital operations not affected'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A Gulf Air plane lands in a first direct flight between Bahrain and Israel, at Ben Gurion International Airport at Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Gulf Air said its data was breached on Friday but its operations and vital systems were not affected, Bahrain's news agency BNA reported on Saturday. The agency quoted the company as saying that "as a result of this illegal breach some information from the company's email system and customers' database could be compromised" and it added emergency plans were deployed to contain the breach. Reporting by Omar Abdel-Razek and Hatem Maher; Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ronen, Omar Abdel, Razek, Hatem Maher, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Ben Gurion International, REUTERS, Rights, Gulf Air, BNA, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Bahrain, Israel, Lod, Tel Aviv, Rights CAIRO

☆ 85-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor taken hostage by Hamas reunited with her family
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yaffa Adar reunited with her family in Tel Aviv after seven weeks in captivity. AdvertisementYaffa Adar, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, was one of the first 13 hostages released from Gaza after 49 days in Hamas's captivity, i24NEWS reports. Yaffa Adar is a mother of three, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of seven. The family reunion at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, near Tel Aviv, followed the four-day cease-fire brokered between Israel and Hamas. The hostages released by Hamas have undergone initial medical tests and are reportedly in good condition, per the IDF.

Persons: Yaffa Adar, —, Nahal Oz, Tamir Adar, Adva Adar, Adva, Alon, Orian, Adar, Yael Adar, Yaffa's, Iris Boker, Yaffa Organizations: Service, Wolfson Hospital, National Holocaust Center, Museum, Hamas Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Holon, Israel, Jerusalem, Be'eri, Warsaw, Poland, Nazi, Thailand, Philippines

☆ Airlines are feeling the impact of the Israel-Hamas war, with bookings already hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Airlines have seen a drop in bookings in the weeks following the start of Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and some expect it to cut into their future profits. Israel's aerial bombing campaign and subsequent ground offensive in Gaza has killed more than 11,000 people, according to health authorities there. In the days following the attack, major airlines suspended or reduced flights to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. In the three week period after Oct. 7, by contrast, ticket issuance from the Middle East was 12% lower than 2019 levels, marking a difference of 9 percentage points. ForwardKeys draws its data from the International Air Transport Association's industry-wide ticketing database which includes major international carriers, but does not include budget airlines like easyJet or Ryanair .

Persons: Israel's, Ben Organizations: Etihad Airways Boeing, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates — Airlines, Hamas, International Air Transport, Ryanair Locations: UAE, Israel's Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, DUBAI, United Arab, Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Ben Gurion, East, Americas, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon

☆ In Israel, Christie Says Trump Ducked Mideast Progress and Fueled Bigotry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | More About Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who is challenging Donald J. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, said Mr. Trump’s rhetoric of intolerance — as evident today as it was during his presidency — had fueled the surge of bigotry confronting Jews and Muslims after Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the fierce Israeli response in Gaza. And Mr. Trump’s lopsided adherence to the wishes of Israel’s right-wing government, while widely praised in Republican circles, secured only the “low-hanging fruit” of Middle Eastern diplomacy during his presidency, Mr. Christie said, denigrating one of Mr. Trump’s chief foreign policy accomplishments. He argued that Mr. Trump’s lack of “intellectual curiosity” and foreign policy ambition had led his administration to give up the pursuit of a more elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Christie delivered a scathing assessment of Mr. Trump’s Middle East policy in an interview as he traveled to Israel on Sunday for what proved an emotional one-day visit in which he toured a kibbutz, Kfar Azza, near Gaza, where 58 residents were butchered by Hamas terrorists last month. Mr. Christie watched raw footage of the attacks at a military base near Tel Aviv, commiserated with survivors and families in a hospital and conferred with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, in Jerusalem.

Persons: Chris Christie, Donald J, Trump, —, Israel’s, Christie, Trump’s, Isaac Herzog Organizations: Republican Locations: New Jersey, Israel, Gaza, Trump’s, Kfar Azza, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

☆ International travel demand falls after onset of Israel-Hamas conflict, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Doyinsola Oladipo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - International flight bookings around the world have fallen since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict especially in the Americas as people cancel trips to the Middle East and around the world, according to travel analysis firm ForwardKeys. International flight bookings from the Americas dropped 10% in the three weeks after the Oct. 7th attack, when compared to the number of tickets issued three weeks before the attack, according to flight ticketing data from ForwardKeys. People in the Middle East have also been traveling less with international flight tickets issued in the region having fallen 9% in the same period. International flight bookings to travel to the region plummeted 26% in the three weeks following the attack. International flight bookings fell 5% across regions on average, impacting the global rebound in international travel from the pandemic.

Persons: Ronen, Olivier Ponti, Ponti, Doyinsola Oladipo Organizations: El Al Israel Airlines, Ben, REUTERS, Global, Thomson Locations: Ben Gurion, Lod, Tel Aviv, Israel, Americas, Palestinian, Gaza, ForwardKeys, New York

☆ When Israel needs to fight Hamas in its tunnels, it turns to an elite band of commandos called the Yahalom unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Clearing out the Hamas tunnels is one assignment for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid its ongoing ground invasion of Gaza, now a little more than a week old. To effectively carry out this task, the military has a elite band of commandos who are trained for underground warfare and other subterranean operations known as the Yahalom unit. The unit was created in 1995 and doubled in size after the 2014 Gaza War — known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge — to deal with the growing threat posed by Hamas' tunnels. On Friday, for example, the IDF said Yahalom soldiers working in tandem with other units destroyed Hamas tunnels during "special operations" inside the strip. "Hamas views warfare underground just as it would aboveground, utilizing defense, offense, and retreat," he remarked.

Persons: —, Nir Elias, Krav Maga, Israel, they're, Yaron Beit, Yahalom, John Spencer, Spencer Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Combat Engineering Corps, REUTERS, Yahalom Foundation, Military, Telegram, West, Institute, US Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Beit Hanoun

RAMLA, Israel (AP) — Hours after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, the country's new fortified, subterranean blood bank kicked into action. Shiner said the center provided tens of thousands of units of blood in the days that followed the Hamas attacks. The new steel and concrete 51,000-square-meter (550,000-square-foot) building processes all of Israel’s donated blood. In early October, the center received 5,000 units of blood in one day — five times more than usual, said its staff. “During war, blood is part of the resuscitation process and the idea is to have a stock, to be able to give blood as soon as it’s needed,” said Guillemette Thomas, the medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.

Persons: Marcus, ”, Eilat Shinar, Magen David Adom —, it’s, Shiner, Moshe Noyovich, Magen David Adom, Israel’s, Israel, Guillemette Thomas, ___ Mednick Organizations: Blood Services, American Locations: RAMLA, Israel, Ramla, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Israel’s, Gaza, Hamas, Jerusalem, israel

☆ Missile fired from Gaza caused hospital blast, Britain's Sunak says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to the media after landing at Ben Gurion international airport in Lod, Near Tel Aviv, Israel October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The explosion at a hospital in Gaza City was most likely caused by a missile fired from within Gaza, and not by a rocket from Israel, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday. "The British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel," Sunak told parliament. Palestinian officials said 471 people were killed in the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital on Tuesday. Gaza's health ministry blamed an Israeli air strike, while Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by militants.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Ronen, Sunak, Israel, Alistair Smout, Farouq Suleiman, Paul Sandle Organizations: British, Ben, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ben Gurion, Lod, Near Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza City, Gaza, British, Al, Ahli, Arabi, United States, France, Canada

El Al Israel Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel March 10, 2020. Insurers for Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines (ELAL.TA), Israir (ISRG.TA) and Arkia have previously said they can issue such notices due to the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Israeli airlines have now received the notices, two sources told Reuters, without naming the airlines. Israeli's parliamentary finance committee last week approved a plan to provide a state guarantee of $6 billion to cover insurance against war risks to Israeli airlines. Airlines normally take out two types of policy - an "all risks" policy which covers both regular damage to the hull and passenger liability, and a "war" policy to cover war or terror-related losses to the aircraft.

Persons: Ronen, Bruce Carman, Arkia, Israir, Garrett Hanrahan, Hanrahan, Carolyn Cohn, Sinead Cruise, David Evans Organizations: El Al Israel Airlines, Ben, REUTERS, Aviation, El Al Airlines, Palestinian, Hamas, Hive Underwriters, El Al, Lebanese, East Airlines, Airlines, Marsh's Global Aviation, Reuters, Hezbollah, Norwegian Air, Thomson Locations: Ben Gurion, Lod, Tel Aviv, Israel, Lebanon, Europe, United States, London, Turkey, Beirut, Eilat

When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shut all access to Gaza following Hamas’ deadly attack last Saturday, these men became stuck. Ismail Abd Almagid’s wife and five children – four girls and one boy – are in Gaza while he is staying in the refugee camp. When Abd Almagid got his permit to work in Israel in October last year, it felt like winning the lottery. Many of the men at the Dheisheh refugee camp are in the same situation – they are the only members of their families to have a job. A view of the Deheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank.

Persons: –, Khan Younis, Ismail Abd Almagid’s, Misk, Tala, ’, ”, Abd Almagid, “ I’d, that’s, ” Ismail Abd Almagid, Ivana Kottasova, “, they’d, Marwan Saqer, Dheisheh, ” Saqer Organizations: West Bank CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, IDF, Palestinian Ministry of Health, United Nations, CNN Sunday, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel, Gazans, Palestinian Authority, UN’s, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Locations: Gaza, Israel, Khan, Egypt, Kafr Qassem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, Jerusalem

☆ ‘A Miracle’: U.S. Citizens Recount Flight from Israel to Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Ron and Linda Neumann, American citizens who were staying near Tel Aviv, said they were stranded after the Hamas attack, unable to catch commercial flights home to Florida. On a conference call Monday with reporters, the couple said their area came under regular missile fire, prompting them to seek refuge in a bomb shelter. It was Project Dynamo’s fifth flight in its Israel rescue operation, said Bryan Stern, the nonprofit’s executive director. The state of Florida paid for the planes, and Gov. “How we got on this plane is a miracle from God because we had no way to get out,” said Ron Neumann, the son of a Holocaust survivor, speaking from the couple’s home in Melbourne, Fla.

Persons: Ron, Linda Neumann, Bryan Stern, Ron DeSantis, ”, Ron Neumann Organizations: Dynamo, U.S Locations: Tel Aviv, Florida, Tampa , Fla, Israel, Melbourne, Fla

☆ Who is El Deif, alleged mastermind of the Hamas’ attack?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He’s now in charge of Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassem Brigades. And on the ground, in private conversations, it’s been difficult to find people who are genuinely behind Hamas military campaigning. Men like El Deif, the bomb makers and decision takers, were hunted by Israel. Key to this change, too, was another major figure in Hamas’ military wing, Yahya Sinwar. I think this will spell the end of Hamas.”That may be a zero-sum option that not even the shadowy El Deif had guessed at.

Persons: Khan Younis, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin gasped, ”, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Eric Gaillard, —, ” Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, El Deif, He’s, Al Qassem, Mkhaimar Abusada, Yassir Arafat, Mahmud Hams, it’s, El, Israel, Dor Kedmi, Yahya Sinwar, Al, he’s, Karim von Hippel, “, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, British, Hamas, Reuters, Al Qassem Brigades, Al Azah University, Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel, Brigades, Getty, Palestinian Authority, Fatah, West Bank, Islamic, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Gaza, Deira, Israel, Gaza City, El, Oslo Accords, AFP, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Aqsa, Iran, Tehran, Rehovot, Hamas, Back, Syria, Yom, Lebanon, London

☆ Hackers infiltrated Israeli smart billboards to post pro-Hamas messages, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two billboards near Tel Aviv were hacked and made to show pro-Hamas messages. Images on social media showed billboards displaying images of Hamas soldiers and rocket attacks. AdvertisementAdvertisementHackers took over two Israeli smart billboards and used them to broadcast pro-Hamas messages, reports said. The billboards in the region of Tel Aviv were hijacked for a brief period on Thursday, CNBC reported. It comes after parents in Tel Aviv were warned to delete social-media apps from their children's phones over fears that Hamas could broadcast videos of hostages.

Persons: —, Gil Messing, Israel Organizations: Service, CNBC, Hamas, Tel, Software Technologies, Wall Street, Bloomberg, Anonymous, IB, Israel National Cyber Directorate Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, cyberattacks, Yemen, Afghanistan, Russian, Anonymous Sudan, Gaza

☆ House lawmakers urge US airlines to quickly resume flights to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

People walk next to a sign directing for Shelter after landing in Israel at the arrivals section of Ben Gurion International airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel October 11, 2023 REUTERS/Marius Bosch Acquire Licensing RightsOct 13 (Reuters) - More than 30 U.S. lawmakers on Friday urged the chief executives of American Airlines (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and United Airlines (UAL.O) to resume flights to Israel "as soon as possible." The three U.S. carriers have all suspended flights to Israel citing security concerns. The letter to the CEOs Friday led by Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz urged the carriers "to prioritize resuming flight operations" to Tel Aviv and said lawmakers "stand ready to assist you in any way necessary to get the job done." Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ben, Marius Bosch, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, David Shepardson, Chris Reese Organizations: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ben Gurion, Lod, Tel Aviv, U.S

STOCKHOLM/AMSTERDAM, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Airlines wrestled with the safety risk of evacuation operations in Israel on Thursday, with carriers including Dutch KLM cancelling flights while sister airline Air France mounted a special relief flight chartered by the French foreign ministry. Israel's parliamentary finance committee meanwhile approved a plan to provide a state guarantee of $6 billion to cover insurance against war risks to Israeli airlines. The framework will grant Israeli airlines cover against war risks, thereby ensuring the continuity of air operations. Foreign airlines have struggled to find a common approach and the head of European budget giant Ryanair (RYA.I) said it was up to governments to plot the way forward. PATCHY RESPONSEGermany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said it was sticking to its plans for evacuation flights on Thursday and Friday, while continuing to ground commercial flights to Israel.

Persons: Ben Gurion, Ben Smith, Ed Bastian, Sasha Gainullin, Rafael Schvartzman, Obama, Anna Ringstrom, Bart H, Meijer, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Julia Payne, Carolyn Cohn, Steven Scheer, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Doyinsola, Terje Solsvik, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Diane Craft Organizations: Airlines, Dutch KLM, Air France, Palestinian, Israel's, Norwegian Air, Insurance, Reuters, Foreign, Ryanair, KLM, Boeing, Lufthansa, Dubai's Emirates, Delta Air Lines, International Air Transport Association, Regulators, U.S . Federal Aviation Administration, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, AMSTERDAM, Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv's, Ben, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Emirates, United States, Europe, U.S, Ben Gurion

☆ Billboards in Israel were briefly hacked to display pro-Hamas messages as cyberwar ramps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israel supporters hold flags as they protest, following Hamas' biggest attack on Israel in years, in Bogota, Colombia October 9, 2023. Cybersecurity threats in Israel are mounting amid the Israel-Hamas war, including two hijacked smart billboards that briefly showed pro-Hamas content, and a cyberattack on a college that published hundreds of thousands of personal records. More than 40 groups are currently attempting, or say they're attempting, cyberattacks, Messing said, adding these threats aren't uncommon. The motivation is more about creating fear and discomfort, not so much about creating damage that is significant." The biggest cyberattack so far this week involved Ono Academic College near Tel Aviv, Messing said.

Persons: Israel, Gil Messing, Messing Organizations: Software Technologies, CNBC, CTV Media Israel, Ono Locations: Israel, Bogota, Colombia, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Jordan

☆ Israel's tech hub is a crucial part of its economy. Now, startups could face tougher funding rounds amid the war, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Getting overseas funding could become difficult for Israel's tech industry amid the war, experts told Reuters. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementIsrael's tech startups have already been facing a tough year attracting funding amid the implosion of a major lender for start-ups, global recession fears, and rising borrowing rates. Investment in Israel's tech startups has already been falling for seven straight quarters even before the war started, according to a report by the think tank Startup Nation Policy Institute, released on September 30. AdvertisementAdvertisementTech insiders also express optimism for the industry, citing Israel's reputation as an established tech hub.

Persons: —, Jon Medved, Avi Hasson, Catalyst, Hasson Organizations: Reuters, Tech, Silicon Valley Bank, Service, Nation Central, Investment, Nation Policy Institute, Israel ., Insight Partners Locations: Israel, Silicon, Tel Aviv, Europe, Israel . New York

☆ Israeli volunteers prepare hundreds of wreaths for funerals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

She and her teenage daughter are among more than 100 volunteers working to prepare flowers for the more than 1,200 Israelis who have been killed since Hamas gunmen burst into Israel from Gaza on Saturday. "You have to understand that there are no wreaths left in Israel anymore," said flower exporter Lihi Salpeter Danziger, who organised the initiative. "People cannot get and cannot find flowers to take to funerals for the size of this event. Danzinger explains that the women work in shifts as the safe room can only accommodate 100 at a time. Once completed, the wreaths are loaded onto cars and trucks and sent out free of charge to funerals taking place all over the country.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Butcher Tali Yehuda, Yehuda, Lihi Salpeter Danziger, Danzinger, Sharon Singleton, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Zeitan, Tel Aviv

☆ Families of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas are pleading for their release and say they have no idea how their relatives are doing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Insider spoke to family members of those believed to be kidnapped to understand what happens now. He added that the American Jewish Committee's offices in Jerusalem and the US were actively "responding when we receive calls from family members" about missing loved ones. "We started getting WhatsApp messages from family members that Hamas was in the kibbutz," Onn said. But, as for those who were taken, Onn said the family has to hold on to hope during an excruciating time. A plea from loved onesInformation about missing loved ones has been hard to come by, people in Israel told Insider on Sunday and Monday.

Persons: —, Jonathan Conricus, Nir Oz, Abbey, Onn, That's, it's, Ted Deutch, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Kenneth Quinn, who's, Quinn, Nahar, Adrienne Neta, Biden, Neta, Rubi Chen, Itay, Chen, Lester Holt, John Kirby, Kirby, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer, Jake Tapper, Shem Tov, Tapper, she'd, Reed Alexander Organizations: Service, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, US State Department, Israel Defence Forces, American Jewish Committee, Democratic, Jewish, Israel, Reuters, State Department, NBC News, National Security Council, White, United, CNN Locations: Gaza, Israel, American, Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Florida, Jerusalem, Hamas, Washington, United States, Israeli

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