24 October 2023 , 12:03
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A major cruise line will no longer sail to ports in the Red Sea for months to come as the Israel-Gaza conflict rages on.
MSC Cruises has cancelled all sailings scheduled to call at destinations in the Red Sea until April 17, 2024. The full winter programmes of both MSC Orchestra and MSC Sinfonia have been called off, while the itineraries of MSC Virtuosa, MSC Opera and MSC Splendida's Grand Voyages have been changed. Small changes have also been made to two 11-night sailings on MSC Armonia.
The company said that the decision had been made because of the conflict and the proximity of some of the ports to the troubled region. It said that there were worries that “restrictions in the bordering countries would have adversely affected the holiday experience for passengers”.
MSC Cruises has said that the safety of its passengers and crew is its “upmost priority”. “Passengers affected by the changes can move their cruise of a similar length of travel to an alternative ship and itinerary or request a full refund," a spokesperson for the company said.
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The cruise line has decided to adjust a number of its sailings (Getty Images for MSC Cruises)The complicated situation in the Middle East and the varying relationships that different countries have with both Israel and Palestine means that travel advice differs from nation to nation. This week the UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice for those in Cyprus, a European island that is situated 250 miles from Palestine by air.
The UK governmental department has flagged an increased risk of demonstrations relating to the hostilities between Israel and Hamas. “Demonstrations may occur with little or no warning in cities. Events in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories have led to heightened tensions in the region and demonstrations are likely,” the UK Government warns. Avoid any protests, political gatherings, or marches and leave the area if one develops. Local transport routes may be disrupted.”
It remains very unclear what will happen in Israel and Palestine over the coming days and weeks. The Middle East has been braced for a Gaza ground-offensive since the attack at the beginning of October.
There are great concerns that it could spark a far wider regional conflict. Israel is already engaged in cross border missile exchanges with Lebanese Hezbollah in the north.
Tanks and troops are massed at the Gaza border, and Israel has stepped up airstrikes to reduce the risk to troops in the next stages. Fears of a widening war have grown as Israeli warplanes have struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon in recent days. It has frequently traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is better armed than Hamas with tens of thousands of rockets.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed - mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. At least 222 people were captured and dragged back to Gaza, including foreigners. Two Americans were released Friday, hours before the first shipment of humanitarian aid. More than 5,000 Palestinians, including some 2,000 minors and around 1,100 women, have been killed, the Hamas-run Health Ministry claims.