Turkish Airlines halts flights to Israel ‘until further notice’

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) on Tuesday announced the suspension of flight service to Israel due to recent developments in the region.

“Due to the current situation in Israel, our flights have been suspended until further notice,” THY's Senior Vice President Media Relations Yahya Ustun said on X.

Many other airlines have also suspended or severely curtailed service to Israel.

Israel continued its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for the third day on Tuesday, following a multi-front Hamas attack on Israeli towns near the seaside territory. Hamas said the attack was in response to Israeli violations in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and imposed a total blockade on the territory, home to nearly 2.3 million people.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it had launched massive airstrikes targeting more than 100 targets in Gaza. The army said its forces killed four Palestinian gunmen who had attempted to infiltrate Israel near Zikim near Gaza.

Israeli forces shelled Palestinian fishing boats at Gaza Port, leaving a number of boats in flames.

The army also said Juad Abu Smallah, Hamas’ economy minister, was killed in an airstrike in the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.

Hamas, for its part, confirmed Tuesday that two of its officials were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The group retaliated by firing volleys of rockets at central cities in Israel, including Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, Beersheba and Rishon LeZion.

Hamas said it had shelled Ashkelon with hundreds of rockets in response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza. The Palestinian movement also said it fired rockets aimed at Ben Gurion Airport.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in the escalation since Saturday, including more than 1,000 Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to use all of Israel’s strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and “take revenge for this black day.”