El Al stops South Africa route after ICJ case against Israel

El Al is stopping flights to Johannesburg at the end of March due to what it says is a collapse in passenger demand since South Africa charged Israel with genocide in its war against Hamas.

Demand fell after the war began on Oct. 7, but has plummeted in the past month, a spokesperson for Israel’s flagship airline said.

At the end of December, South Africa accused Israel in the International Court of Justice of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge vigorously denied by the Israeli government. The case was argued earlier this month in The Hague and an interim ruling is due on Friday.

The war began when Hamas operatives swarmed into Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting 240. Israel responded with an air, land and sea attack, so far killing more than 25,000 people, according to health officials in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. The number doesn’t distinguish between civilians and fighters, and Israel says it has killed nearly 10,000 Hamas militants.

Worried for their security and focused on the war, Israelis have largely stopped traveling in recent months, not only to South Africa. Authorities at Ben Gurion Airport say passenger traffic in December was 70% below that from a year earlier.