Nigeria has announced the suspension of all pilgrimages to Israel following the deadly violence that erupted over the weekend.
A group of Easter pilgrims was supposed to fly to Israel and Jordan on Tuesday, but the trip has been cancelled until further notice, the government’s Christian Pilgrim Commission says.
“The war has created uncertainties in our planning for the main pilgrimage in December… we do hope the hostilities will end before the end of the year,” Sunny Udeh, the commission’s director for mobilisation and sensitisation.
On average, about 18,000 Christian pilgrims fly from Nigeria to religious sites in Israel and Jordan each year.
The commission said it would continue to monitor the situation in Israel as the safety of Nigerian pilgrims remained paramount.
Last Saturday, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel. At least 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the ongoing hostilities, while at least 1,000 Palestinians have died following retaliatory strikes on Gaza Strip from Tel Aviv.
The Nigerian government has called for the “de-escalation of the hostilities and a ceasefire” between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, while advocating for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue.
Despite the chaos, commercial flights to Tel Aviv from Nigeria have remained undisrupted.