This morning, the Population Authority announced that the closures will be closed only at 17:00 and not at 06:00 in the morning, as was decided yesterday. The decision is probably due to the aim of making adjustments to close the crossings in a uniform manner. The order was signed by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and if there are no last-minute changes, the mainland entrance gates to Israel will also be closed this afternoon.
An inspection we conducted shows that 721 people entered Israel yesterday, of whom 601 were Israeli citizens and 120 foreign nationals, all of whom received special permits, according to Interior Ministry officials. Of those 721 entrants, 510 entered the overland crossings, the vast majority of them Israelis and among them quite a few who took advantage of the loophole and entered the country without any problem.
Israir will operate rescue flights
Currently, there are thousands of Israelis who are in different countries and are looking for a way to return to Israel. Many of these Israelis are in Dubai, there are quite a few in the United States, Turkey, Seychelles and other countries.
Tonight there will be an Israir flight to Frankfurt with passengers who will receive a special permit to leave the country. The same plane will bring back Israelis who will receive a permit to return to Israel from different countries, the vast majority of whom will be those who come from Europe.
The decision to operate a rescue flight with less than 24 hours’ notice does not allow Israelis who are in Dubai, USA, Seychelles and even destinations closer to Germany, apply for approval of the Exceptions Committee, perform a corona check that is mandatory to enter Israel and catch a flight to Germany in such a short time.
As we published yesterday, there are quite a few difficult stories following the decision to close the airport. In Austria there are cancer patients who are stuck and can not return to Israel to continue the treatments, in Israel there are patients who have to fly abroad to receive special treatments and in the US and other countries there are quite a few children who are stuck without their parents abroad and try to return.
Yesterday we published the story of the couple who flew for a short vacation and left a four-month-old baby in the country, in a planned and orderly manner. The couple got stuck in Dubai and it is now unclear when they will be able to reunite with their toddler daughter.
Following the government’s decision to close the sky, except for passengers who will receive an exceptional permit in view of urgent medical and humanitarian needs, the Ministry of Transportation conducted a pricing procedure between Israeli airlines to operate the flights for approved passengers. The airline that will operate the flights is Israir. The round-trip flights will only be possible for those approved by the Exceptions Committee, and as for return flights – it will not be possible to purchase flight tickets for the general public and it will be designated for needs to be defined by the state. Passengers arriving in Israel will be subject to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the Home Front Command with regard to the insulation charges in hotels or home insulation.