Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP / Getty Images
The United States has teamed up with Royal Caribbean to help evacuate Americans stranded in Israel as the war with Hamas intensifies.
After the surprise attack by Hamas, most commercial airlines canceled flights to and from Israel, leaving people stranded in a warzone.
The Rhapsody of the Seas will ferry up to 2,500 people from Israel to Cyprus. The journey will take 10-12 hours. Passengers will be provided with food and have access to Wi-Fi during the voyage.
Once the evacuees are in Cyprus, they will be able to book flights back to the United States.
The ship was docked at the port of Haifa on Monday (October 16) as dozens of families lined up to leave the country.
"I have mixed feelings about leaving," Ariella Keshet, a therapist from the town of Katzrin in the Golan Heights, told the Times of Israel. "I think it would be wise to get out of the way if there's fighting."
Royal Caribbean said it has canceled the rest of its cruise season in Israel, which runs through November, due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.