British Airways offers Israel-bound passengers the chance to change destination

Any passenger currently in Israel who wishes to return early can rebook onto the next available BA flight from Tel Aviv to Heathrow

As the conflict between Israel and Gaza drags on, British Airways is offering passengers booked to Tel Aviv in the next five days the chance to postpone flights or switch to a different destination without penalty.

Any passenger currently in Israel who wishes to return early can rebook onto the next available BA flight from Tel Aviv to Heathrow.

A spokesman for BA told The Independent: “We are keeping the situation under constant review. We continue to operate to Tel Aviv. We would not operate a flight if we did not think it was safe to do so.”

The airline made the offer shortly after the Foreign Office stepped up its travel advice. Following an explosion earlier today on a bus in Tel Aviv, the FCO said: “We advise you to avoid public transport (including transport hubs) and public gatherings (including popular social venues), and to be vigilant when travelling around”.

The Dutch airline, KLM, has changed its schedules between Amsterdam and Tel Aviv to protect pilots and cabin crew. It has added an extra stop in Cyprus, where the crew will now stay overnight rather than remaining in Israel.

But easyJet, which flies from Luton and Manchester to Tel Aviv, has not changed its terms. The airline says “We continue to operate our flights as per the schedule”.