British Airways cancels London-Tel Aviv flight

LONDON

British Airways canceled its London-Tel Aviv and return flights on Thursday due to ongoing violence in Israel, the UK’s flagship carrier said Thursday.

"Like other airlines, we have cancelled our flight to/from Tel Aviv today,” the company said in a statement. “The safety and security of our colleagues and customers is always our top priority, and we continue to monitor the situation closely."

The canceled flight from Heathrow Airport was due at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT).

Ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 11 more Palestinians, taking the death toll to 83, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Fatalities include 17 children and seven women, while a total of 487 people are injured to date.

Six Israelis have also been killed in the recent violence – five of them in rocket attacks in addition to a soldier killed when an anti-tank guided missile struck his jeep.

Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.