Israeli airlines show solidarity with hostages held for 100 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza

The two Israeli airline companies El Al and Israir have decided to demonstrate solidarity with the 136 remaining hostages that have been held for 100 days in captivity by the terror organization Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas terrorists and their accomplices kidnapped about 240 Israelis and foreign nationals during their lethal invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, as well as massacred more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians including women, children and elderly.

Officials say it is unclear how many of the remaining hostages are still alive.

The Jewish state’s largest airline, El Al, announced that "the flight most associated with the company - LY001 that departs at 1:00 (consisting of the number 100) from Tel Aviv to JFK Airport in New York on January 14, will be called LY100 to mark 100 days without them. The flight will be carried out on a 'Jerusalem of Gold' plane" The Stand With Israel sticker was pasted on it last month."

El Al announced: "The background on the El Al website will also be changed to the message of the '100 days', and a dedicated announcement will be broadcasted during all the flights by the aircrews, which aims to echo the story of the 136 abductees to thousands of our passengers in Israel and around the world."

In addition, Israel’s flag carrier decided to increase international awareness about the hostages by flying the ‘hourglass’ sculpture to New York. Weighing in at roughly 300 kg (about 660 lbs), the ‘hourglass’ is an original work that was created to emphasize that time is running out for the Israeli hostages held under difficult conditions in Gaza.

"El Al has mobilized to fly the ‘hourglass’ symbolizing the running out of time for the abductees in Gaza to New York, in an operation aimed at raising global public awareness for the release of the abductees by placing it in central locations,” the airline company stated.

Meanwhile, Israel’s airline company Israir said its aircrews on Sunday would ask passengers to recite the prayer 'Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael' for the safe return of the hostages. The company’s website will also include a yellow ribbon with the message, "Bring Them Home," which will appear on every online booking order.

Following Hamas' lethal aggression against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, most foreign airlines quickly canceled their scheduled flights to and from Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, citing security concerns.

El Al and Israir, therefore, have become crucial players in keeping Israelis connected to the outside world.

Following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, many foreign nationals were temporarily stranded in Israel due to the dramatic decrease in available flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport.

Mere days after the attack, hundreds of stranded tourists began spontaneously praying for Israel at Ben-Gurion International Airport. In a video released to social media, many tourists could be seen standing together hand-in-hand, praying for the Jewish state.