German carrier Lufthansa pauses evacuation flights from Israel

German airline Lufthansa has temporarily paused its special flights to evacuate German citizens from Israel after flying more than 800 German citizens out of Israel on October 13 alone.

The flights were organized by the German Foreign Office after some airlines suspended their services to and from Israel and available seats began to fill up following the large-scale attack by the Islamist militant group Hamas on Israel last weekend, DPA reports.

The reason given for the stoppage is the "uncertain security situation" and "unresolved issues of operational stability in Tel Aviv."

Observers assume that a ground offensive by Israel may be imminent in retaliation for the killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians by Islamist Hamas, which rules Gaza, last weekend.

The German Foreign Office on Friday said it supported some 2,800 Germans leaving Israel via land, air and water so far. It said two flights operated by Condor would leave on Sunday from the Jordanian city of Aqaba.

The port city on the Red Sea sits right across the border from the southern Israeli town of Eilat, some 350 kilometres south of Tel Aviv.

A visa is required to enter Jordan. The German Foreign Office said travellers can apply for it at the Aqaba border crossing.

On Friday, the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) criticized repatriation flights run by civilian airlines, citing "incalculable risk."

The union said such flights should be carried out by the air force as military crews are trained for such operations and their aircraft have the appropriate equipment.