El Al suspended flights to Johannesburg at the end of March as passenger demand collapsed after South Africa accused Israel of genocide in its war with Hamas.
A spokesman for Israel's main airline said demand had fallen since the war began on October 7, but had fallen sharply in the past month.
In late December, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, a charge the Israeli government strongly denies. The case was heard in The Hague earlier this month and a preliminary ruling is expected on Friday.
The war began when Hamas operatives poured into Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting 240 others. Israel has responded with air, land and sea attacks that have killed more than 25,000 people in the region, health officials from the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority said. This figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and Israel says it has killed about 10,000 Hamas fighters.
Concerned for their safety and focused on the war, Israelis have largely stopped traveling in recent months, including to South Africa. Ben Gurion Airport Authority announced that passenger numbers in December were down 70% compared to the same month last year.
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