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Israel's El Al Suspending South Africa Route over World Court Case

(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
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Israel's El Al Suspending South Africa Route over World Court Case

(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
(FILES) This photo taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli airline El-Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taking off from Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

El Al Israel Airlines said on Friday it was suspending its route to Johannesburg at the end of March, citing a steep drop in demand after South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the World Court.
Israel's flag carrier flies up to twice weekly nonstop to Johannesburg.
"Israelis don't want to fly to South Africa," said an El Al spokesperson. "They are cancelling flights and planes are pretty empty... We understand it's the situation because it was different before.
"The fact that the Israelis don't want to go to South Africa but do want to go to other places helps us decide that we're pausing that route," she said. The company also cited the current security situation, Reuters reported.
Israel has asked the court to reject the case outright. An Israeli government spokesperson on Thursday said they expected the U.N.'s top court to "throw out these spurious and specious charges".
South Africa argued two weeks ago that Israel's aerial and ground offensive was aimed at bringing about "the destruction of the population" of Gaza.
El Al said once it had stopped flying to Johannesburg it would shift the widebody aircraft it uses on the route to expand current destinations to North America and Bangkok and Tokyo in Asia while examining new routes.

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Former Israeli Hostage Dies at 78

A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
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Former Israeli Hostage Dies at 78

A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)

Hannah Katzir, an Israeli woman who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and freed in a brief ceasefire last year, has died. She was 78.

She was among the 250 hostages the Palestinian group Hamas took back into Gaza following the surprise attack that left about 1,200 people dead.

Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground invasion have killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.

The Hostages Families Forum, a group representing the families of people taken captive, confirmed Katzir’s death Tuesday but did not disclose the cause.

Her daughter, Carmit Palty Katzir said in a statement that her mother’s “heart could not withstand the terrible suffering since Oct. 7.”

Katzir’s husband, Rami, was killed during the attack by fighters who raided their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her son Elad was also kidnapped and his body was recovered in April by the Israeli military, who said he had been killed in captivity.

She spent 49 days in captivity and was freed in late November 2023. Shortly after Katzir was freed, her daughter told Israeli media that she had been hospitalized with heart issues attributed to “difficult conditions and starvation” while she was held captive.