Israelis Stranded in UAE as Rescue Flights Face Delays, Baggage Issues

Efforts to evacuate Israelis from the United Arab Emirates encountered significant obstacles on Tuesday, with authorities revoking permission for rescue flights operated by Israeli airlines. Israeli officials engaged in overnight negotiations with their Emirati counterparts. By morning, Israel's Ministry of Transport announced that evacuation flights would proceed, albeit with delays due to enhanced security procedures and coordination with the UAE. Despite this, El Al canceled two scheduled flights for the day, citing a lack of necessary authorization. Other carriers, Arkia and Israir, reported that while permissions were being coordinated, no flights were departing. Compounding the issues, El Al informed passengers that neither checked baggage nor standard carry-on luggage would be permitted on board, with only small personal bags allowed. Suitcases are to be transported separately. The crisis reportedly stems from an incident on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, believed to be a potential terror attempt. Following this event, the Emirati airline suspended flights between Dubai and Israel pending an investigation. Approximately 1,700 Israelis were stranded in Dubai as a result. The disruption also affected Israelis planning to return home via Dubai from other countries.