Over 70,000 Israelis have returned home via sea, land, air since start of Iran campaign

Since Israel launched a campaign of airstrikes in Iran to decimate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs on June 13, more than 71,608 Israelis returned home via land border crossings, the sea and the air, according to data by the Population and immigration Authority.

Israel’s airspace has been largely closed since the Israel Defense Forces began carrying out airstrikes on Iran, with exceptions only for a very limited number of approved repatriation flights during daylight hours only.

The closure has left many thousands of traveling Israelis scrambling for a way to get back home. Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, Israir, and Air Haifa started operating repatriation flights on Wednesday to gradually bring back the more than 100,000 Israelis estimated to be stranded abroad.

Between June 13 and June 21, 39,776 people entered the country via land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, which have remained open since the conflict with Iran started, according to data by the Population and Immigration Authority. From the sea, 6,499 Israelis traveled back, mostly from Cyprus, and 25,333 Israelis flew home on repatriation flights.

From June 13 to June 21, 33,685 Israelis left the country. About 27,920 exited via land border crossings, 2,645 via the sea, and 3,120 on flights.