Children walk on the ruins of a mosque destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 8, 2023. Fighting between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas raged on October 8, with hundreds killed on both sides after a surprise attack on Israel prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn they were "embarking on a long and difficult war." Photo: VCG

 
Multiple Chinese travel agencies have said they currently have no travel groups in Israel, and they will negotiate with their clients to cancel scheduled travel to Israel due to the ongoing conflict, according to media reports. 

Chinese travel agency Spring Tour said the company has canceled a 28-member tour to Israel that was scheduled to depart on Monday, given the current situation, and it will make further arrangements. GZL International Travel Service said the company had sent two travel groups to Israel in September this year, but both have since returned to China.  

In addition, GZL said there are two scheduled travel groups to Israel in October and December this year. Another two travel agencies, Tuniu and Tongcheng, said they both have planned tours to Israel in late October and November this year.  

The travel agencies said they are consulting with clients over cancelling the tours and organizing refunds, said the report.

China on August 10 announced a third round of resumption of outbound group tour services to 78 countries and regions, including Israel. The Xinhua News Agency reported that a total of 156,100 tourists from China visited Israel in 2019. 

Aviation information provider VariFlight showed that three direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to Tel Aviv are operating normally at present.  

The Chinese embassy in Israel issued a safety notice on Saturday calling for local Chinese residents to follow relevant safety guidance to avoid danger.