Major airlines have canceled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack against Israel.

American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.

However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Israel's second international airport at Eilat, a tourist destination on the Red Sea.

Also, Israeli flag carrier El Al said on Sunday that it was maintaining its Tel Aviv flights for now, though some flights operated by foreign partners had been canceled.

"We might cancel flights to places where we don't have a lot of Israelis to help other Israelis in other places," a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In a statement, El Al added that it was operating "per the instructions of the Israeli security forces," with all flights now departing only from Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion airport.

Like most other airlines, it said clients could change their tickets without charge.

On Saturday, Türkiye's national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), said that passengers departing and arriving in Tel Aviv would be granted additional rights such as free cancellation and postponement.

The carrier said that additional rights such as free cancellations, postponements, and reservation changes have been granted to passengers who have bookings on Turkish Airlines or AnadoluJet Tel Aviv flights between Oct. 7-9, and ticketed on or before Oct. 7.

The statement said free refunds for all THY or AnadoluJet flights to and from Tel Aviv on those dates can be made until Oct. 9, and the validity of tickets can be extended until Nov. 30 without any fee difference and penalty.

Turkish Airlines flights have been delayed due to problems at Ben Gurion Airport.

A Lufthansa spokesperson on Saturday cited "the current security situation" to say it was canceling all flights to and from Tel Aviv "up until and including Monday," adding that it was monitoring the security situation in Israel.

Brussels Airlines, part of the Lufthansa group, also canceled its Tel Aviv flights.

Air France said it had halted Tel Aviv flights "until further notice," and the Air France-KLM group's low-cost carrier Transavia said it was canceling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday.

Spanish airline Iberia announced that its budget subsidiary Iberia Express was canceling its Tel Aviv flights.

Italy's flag carrier ITA canceled its flight until Sunday morning at the earliest "to safeguard passengers and crew," while Polish carrier LOT also canceled its flights from the Polish capital on Saturday.

Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Air Canada.