An El Al flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday to evacuate a passenger needing medical attention. The flight was subsequently not permitted to refuel in Turkey.
After waiting on the tarmac for several hours, the plane departed for Rhodes, Greece, where it was scheduled to refuel before continuing to Tel Aviv.
According to Hebrew media reports, passengers were informed that they would be required to remain on the plane for several hours in Turkey without permission to disembark.
Turkish officials denied that the plane encountered any issues with refueling.
This incident follows the cancellation of all direct flights between Israel and Turkey shortly after the war against Hamas began on October 7th. The conflict erupted when Hamas terrorists launched a large-scale invasion of southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed support for Hamas during the conflict. Israel aims to dismantle Hamas as the de facto government in Gaza, secure the release of the hostages taken on October 7th, and neutralize the security threat posed by the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan hosted Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul in April. In May, he stated that over 1,000 Hamas members were receiving medical treatment in Turkish hospitals.
Furthermore, Turkey severed all trade relations with Israel in May. This represents a significant development as Turkey was Israel’s fifth-largest source of imports. The move is anticipated to lead to price increases in Israel, at least in the short term.