UAE cancels flights to Israel amid escalating conflicts
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Amidst the backdrop of continuing unrest in Israel-Palestine, the UAE air carriers Etihad Airways and flydubai have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv.
The carriers, on Sunday, noted in their official websites the cancellations of flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Israel's capital, adding that all services this week have been suspended. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the UAE-based budget airline, also called off its services.
"Etihad is monitoring the situation in Israel and continues to maintain close contact with authorities and security intelligence providers," Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said on its website. Suspension of air travel comes as the exchanges of missiles have brought in severe damages to the region.
Last September, the United Arab Emirates had signed a normalization deal with Israel, which had facilitated approval of a free-visa agreement between the states. However, with the pandemic on the global surge, the agreement got postponed until July 1, which was to go into effect in mid-February.
The UAE has called on all parties to take immediate steps to a ceasefire while expressing concern over extremely violent conflicts in Israel and Palestine. Though with global media coverage on the issue, the dispute which has resulted in several hundred getting killed and injured in the attacks targeted at each other has only worsened.