As governments race to evacuate citizens from the Middle East, Israel is preparing to fly home its citizens who are stranded abroad.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev said Ben-Gurion Airport will reopen for limited incoming flights around the clock starting early Thursday.
Israel’s airspace has been closed since Saturday, when the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began, although some land crossings remain open. Regev said thousands have returned that way.
Under the plan, one passenger flight per hour will be allowed in the first 24 hours, totaling about 5,000 people, with more later depending on security.
It is unclear whether only Israelis will be permitted on the flights, and no commercial departures leaving Israel have been approved.
According to the emerging plan, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport will operate 24 hours a day and will open in a controlled manner.
In the first phase, the entry of one passenger aircraft per hour will be approved. In the second phase, two will enter every hour, or one wide-body plane will enter, subject to security and operational conditions. The framework is still subject to final approvals.
