(NewsNation) — The first chartered flights bringing Americans trapped in Israel back to the U.S. landed in Athen, Greece Friday. They are expected to arrive in New York City next.
The State Department says the flights provide options for U.S. citizens and their families to leave the war-torn nation as thousands of commercial flights have been canceled since the attacks began.
National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby says this is just the beginning for flights from the State Department.
United Airlines has announced all flights in and out of Tel Aviv have been suspended “until conditions improve.”
American Airlines has halted all flights to and from the city’s Ben Gurion Airport until December 4 and Delta Airlines say they are canceling all Tel Aviv flights through October 31.
However, both Delta and United have announced additional flights from Athens to help bring the Americans on the State Department’s chartered flights home.
The airlines have each added at least three flights from Athens to New York City and Newark over the next week. American Airlines says they plan to fly larger planes from Athens to New York to accommodate the Americans.
This comes after more than 30 lawmakers co-authored a letter to all three major U.S. airlines, urging them to ramp up efforts to bring U.S. citizens in Israel home.
So far, at least 29 Americans have been killed in the Hamas attacks and at least 14 are still unaccounted for.
U.S. citizens needing assistance leaving Israel are urged to complete a form at the State Department website.
