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Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea

Drive through the awe inspiring Judean Desert past the lookout, where Eliyahu Ha’Navi hid from King Achav…

Jerusalem Jewish Quarter

The cobblestone streets and hidden alleyways of the lively Jewish Quarter are a must-see for every traveler to Israel. Remnants of the ancient city walls remain from the time of King Hizkiyahu and the first Beis Hamikdash…

Bar Kochva Underground

A fascinating underground secret tunnel hideout used by Jews during the Bar Kochva revolt against Rome…

Explore the original ancient city of Jerusalem including King David’s palace and King Hizkiyahu’s water tunnel…

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Our staff is here to help make sure your visit to Israel is the experience of a lifetime! We are famous for our group tours which make it easy for you to see Israel while keeping it affordable by being part of a group.

But we also would love to help you with every aspect of your Israel trip . We can arrange Kosher Hotels , we can help you plan events like Bar Mitzvahs or weddings and we can create custom tours for you and your family or group.

Just contact us , we can’t wait to hear from you!

See why thousands have experienced Israel with us!

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• All tours led by professional, licensed tour guides

Featured Hotels

Leonardo Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem

The five-star Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem Hotel is situated close to all the capital’s famous attractions, making it the ideal base for an unforgettable leisure break. The onsite services and facilities are second to none – from a superb spa complex, gourmet restaurants and breathtaking views over both the New and Old City.

David Dead Sea Hotel

David Dead Sea Hotel Resort & Spa is the largest hotel in the Dead Sea. It offers the guests 600 spacious suites of various sizes with a balcony overlooking the breathtaking scenery of the Dead Sea or the hotel pool.

Kibbutz Lavi Hotel

The Kibbutz Lavi Hotel began in 1962 as a group of houses in the kibbutz near Tiveria. Today the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel boasts 184 rooms, including suites, deluxe rooms, and garden rooms, as well as a lovely restaurant, a spacious lobby, and halls of various sizes equipped with audio-visual equipment.

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Shalom - meaning peace

Welcome to Israel—a land of contrasts and wonderful surprises. Join hundreds of years of voyagers who have flocked to this dynamic country. Ancient and modern, secular and sacred, Israel beckons visitors with its magnificent sites, holy places and warm Mediterranean climate. Here, age-old sacred shrines exist alongside futuristic skyscrapers and posh resorts with swaying palms alongside desert wasteland. No matter where you look, the legendary stories of mankind’s collective history come to life in this magnificent place.

Destination Must-See's

Dome of the Rock:

This structure dominates the old city. It is the shrine for Islam’s third most holy site. It covers a black stone in the mountain where Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. It was the first dome shrine to be built and is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It’s made of wood with marble slabs inside and covered with Persian tiles on the outside.

Known in the bible as Sea of the Arabah or Salt Sea, it gets its name from the high mineral content preventing anything from living in it. The lowest point of dry land on earth is the shoreline of the Dead Sea. Nearly 7 million tons of water evaporate from it every day, but the minerals remain.

Dead Sea Scrolls:

The first seven of many Dead Sea Scrolls were found by 3 brothers while gathering their goats high in the mountains. The brothers were not aware of what they found and sold the scripts. Years later, all scripts made their way to one location where the full content was finally revealed. See the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum to view the scrolls on display.

This is the birth place of Jesus. Christians all over the world consider this a holy site, but it is also significant to Jews because it is the burial place of the matriarch Rachel and birth place of King David. Manger Square is the main focus during Christmas celebrations three times a year.

Destination Must-Do's

Explore Jerusalem:

This historic location plays a major part in the 3 monotheistic religions. The heart of Jerusalem is in the Old City. This section is surrounded by a wall divided into 4 quarters: Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Inside are important holy sites of the 3 major religions. Jerusalem also has a New City as well that still captures the original charm of the city.

Sea of Galilee:

This is a mountainous region in Israel’s north that is divided into two parts. It is densely populated and has the largest variety of ethnic communities in Israel. Its natural beauty and landscapes make it a main tourist destination. However, it is also popular for its national antiquities parks, farming communities, nature reserves, Jewish holy sites, Christian holy sites, and the Jordan River. One of the best ways to experience Galilee is to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Visit the Western Wall:

Located in Jerusalem's Old City, the Western Wall is one of the holiest Jewish sites in Israel. Also known as the Wailing Wall or the Kotel, this sacred place is visited by millions of pilgrims each year so that they may pray and reflect. It is the only intact remnants of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and dates back to 2nd century BCE.

Enjoy Tel Aviv:

Tel Aviv is Israel’s economic and cultural center and it’s referred to as the “city that never stops.” It is the country’s first modern Jewish city in Israel, but it still holds quite a bit of history. Visitors can find several important Christian sites there, but it’s also teeming with restaurants, shops, old courtyards, fishing ports and night clubs that attract tourists from all over.

Expert Advice

As you prepare to explore Israel, enjoy a casual dress style and be sure to pack comfortable walking shoes. Please dress conservatively when visiting holy sites throughout the country; shorts and sleeveless shirts are not permitted when visiting churches and other religious sites.

You’re in for a treat as you explore the many delicious flavors of Israel. Israeli food is based off Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine. Common ingredients include lentils, nuts, raw vegetables, lamb and beef. Common beverages include mint tea, mint lemonade, egg cream and fruit shakes. Coffee lovers will enjoy Israel's Turkish style cup of java with its sweet notes of cardamom and caramel.

In Israel, religious items make popular souvenirs; these are not too hard to find in the "Holy Land." Many travelers love to collect beautiful glass-made products, ceramics and silver in Israel. Olive wood carvings are extremely popular here. For those who love beautiful jewels and jewelry, Israel is one of the world's leading diamond manufacturing and trading centers.

Featured Tours to Israel

Iconic Israel

Israel: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Israel: A Journey of Faith

Jordan & Israel: Cultural Crossroads

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We just finished a two-week visit to Israel with Via Sabra. It’s impossible to pick a favorite location or event as the entire trip from start to finish was amazing. The service provided by Via Sabra and our guide was outstanding in every way. We wholeheartedly recommend Via Sabra for any family or group planning a trip to Israel. Ben, Nov 2022

I believe in slow travel. I'm definitely NOT a tour person. Yet, everything about Via Sabra blew my previous conceptions of what an organized tour could be. It was a trip of many lifetimes. Miri, July 2022

Via Sabra left no stone unturned to make sure every detail of our trip and travels was 5-star. The tour guides, chefs, journalists, military expert, and influencers were warm, engaging and incredibly knowledgeable. Avihai, owner of Via Sabra, and the entire Via Sabra team are true experts on Israel and know how to make each tourist feel special and important. I would not hesitate to have Via Sabra organize my next trip to Israel. Karen, May 2022

Another life changing tour - Via Sabra is caring and strives to accommodate any requests. We cannot recommend Via Sabra enough and we are looking forward to our next trip. Naomi S, 2020 (and 2018, and 2016)

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Early bird special - $200 off per person.

Available only between october 1-10, 2021.

Registration for the trip will open on October 1. Fill out this form to be notified when registration for the trip opens, so you can take advantage of early bird special pricing!

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Ayelet Tours, Ltd.

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Need more flex in your schedule? Choose a day tour or mini-tour, or mix and match to create your own Israel travel experience!

Israel day & mini tours.

You don’t have to join one of our full service Israel tours to enjoy the benefit of our experience. We offer day and half-day Israel tours for independent vacationers planning travel to Israel. Many of the tours depart on a daily basis, others 2-3 times per week, making them convenient to fit with your travel schedule. It doesn’t matter if you’re visiting relatives, are in the country for business or are spending your time mostly exploring on your own, you can still enjoy our Israel tour experience on one of these day trips or mini tours.

From Tel Aviv: $100.00

Dep: 7:20 am, from jerusalem: $79.00, dep: 9:00 am, jerusalem (tour 1).

On Saturdays and Jewish holidays, instead of Yad Vashem, drive to Ein Karem ,southwest of Jerusaelm, traditionally known as birthplace of John the Baptist. Stroll the narrow lanes of the picturesque neighborhoods; stop by Mary’s spring and continue to visit the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. *Entrance to the Holocaust museum is not permitted for children under the age of 10.

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From Tel Aviv: $129.00

From jerusalem: $118.00, masada and the dead sea (tour 2).

View the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, water cisterns, mosaic floors, Roman baths and other findings. Descend by cable car. Continue to the Dead Sea . Enjoy the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and cover yourself with mineral rich, therapeutic Dead Sea mud. Comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended. Spa treatments are not included; lockers available at additional cost.

From Jerusalem: $107.00

Dep: 6:00 am, biblical highlights of the galilee (tour 3), daily except sunday.

Proceed to Yardenit , the famous baptismal site where the Jordan River leaves the Sea of Galilee towards the Dead Sea. Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

From Tel Aviv: $117.00

From jerusalem: $130.00, pearls of the western galilee (tour 4), daily except thursday.

Proceed via Nahariya to Rosh Hanikra to visit the limestone grottos. Drive to Acre where we walk through the market, the mosque, the old port and visit the Crusader Fortress, underground city and crypt. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

From Tel Aviv: $132.00

Jerusalem and bethlehem (tour 5).

See the Western Wall (the Kotel) and continue to the Christian Quarter . Walk along the Via Dolorosa and visit the Church of Holy Sepulcher . Continue to Bethlehem for an overview of Shepherds’ Field. Visit the Church of Nativity and Manger Square .

From Tel Aviv: $151.00

From jerusalem: $119.00, jerusalem and the dead sea (tour 6), daily *min 2 pax.

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea . Stop for relaxation at one of the resorts on the shores of the Dead Sea. Enjoy the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and cover yourself with mineral rich, therapeutic Dead Sea mud. Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended.

From Tel Aviv: $106.00

Dep: 8:00 am, tel aviv city tour (tour 9), fridays (except on jewish holidays).

Visit Neve Tzedek , the first neighborhood of Tel Aviv, built in 1887 and Nahalat Benyamin , the pedestrian promenade, filled with musicians, handmade jewelry and artifacts. Next, stop at Sheinkin , the lively and colorful street especially known for its unique shops, cafe life and youthful ambiance. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

From Tel Aviv: $168.00

From jerusalem: $156.00, jericho and bethlehem (tour 10), mondays, wednesdays and saturdays.

Drive to the city of Bethlehem.Visit the Church of Nativity and Manger Square . Stop for an overview of Shepherds’ Field and return to Jerusalem. Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED.

From Tel Aviv: $101.00

From jerusalem: $95.00, dead sea relaxation day (tour 11).

Hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended. Spa treatments and personal expenses are not included.

<!–Tour 12

From Tel Aviv: $188.00

From jerusalem: $204.00, safed and nazareth (tour 12), thursdays *min 2 pax except dec 1 – 15, jan and feb when min is 5 pax, on march 1, 2019 this tour will change to safed & nazareth.

Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

–>

From Tel Aviv: $66.00

From jerusalem: $55.00, half day jerusalem tour (tour 13).

Tour ends at 1:30 pm in the Old City. Return to hotel on own. Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

From Tel Aviv: $104.00

From jerusalem: $83.00, half day bethlehem tour (tour 14).

Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED.

From Tel Aviv: $198.00

From jerusalem: $110.00, half day jericho tour (tour 15).

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

<!– Tour 16

From Tel Aviv/ Jerusalem $312.00

Dep tel aviv: 7:20 am, dep jerusalem: 9:00 am, 2 day tour – galilee (tour 16-combines tours 3 & 4).

Upgraded Hotel supplement: $84.00 per person per night Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

2 DAY TOUR – JERUSALEM, MASADA & DEAD SEA (Tour 17 Combines tours 1 & 2)

Upgraded Hotel supplement: $84.00 per person per night Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head coverings are required to visit holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended.

2 DAY TOUR – JERUSALEM & DEAD SEA RELAXATION (Tour 18)

Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended.

From Tel Aviv/ Jerusalem $335.00

2 day tour – jerusalem, bethlehem, masada & dead sea (tour 19).

Upgraded Hotel supplement: $84.00 per person per night Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended.

2 DAY TOUR – JERUSALEM, BETHLEHEM, AND DEAD SEA RELAXATION (Tour 20)

Upgraded Hotel supplement: $84.00 per person per night Modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit and towel are recommended. PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED.

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** 2019 High Season Supplement will apply August 1 to 31, 2019 and December 20, 2019 to January 5, 2020. 2 Day Tours will not operate from April 19 to 26; May 8 to 9; June 7 to 9; September 28 to October 1; October 8 to 10 and October 14 to 21, 2019. Entrance fees are included. Meals and tips are not included. Prices listed are discounted for payment by check only. For payments by credit card, please add 3%. Prices are subject to change. Our office will provide full details with confirmation. All tours are conducted by government-licensed guides and in luxury air-conditioned vehicles and buses. Changes in itinerary may occur due to holidays, force of nature or circumstances beyond control. Pick-up and drop-off times may be delayed due to traffic conditions. Passengers with specials needs including wheelchairs, carriages, or baby chairs need to notify us about their needs in advance. Ayelet Tours has been helping others experience the wonders of Israel since 1986. From our home base in Albany, New York, we arrange incredible tour to Israel packages for clients from all over the country and beyond. Whether you take one of our day trips, congregational tours or our classic Bar Mitzvah Tours, Israel is a destination that is meant to be savored.   Visitors who take advantage of our day Israel tours have a full range of touring options. Our day tours range from half-day adventures in Jerusalem’s Old City to two-day excursions to Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea or Galilee and the Golan Heights.   Like those who partake in our full Israel tour packages, our day tour guests can expect first-class treatment. Our trip to the Galilee and the Golan Heights, for example, includes such sites as the Hula Valley, Beit Shean, Tiberias, Banias and more. This package includes an overnight stay in a Kibbutz hotel, along with breakfast and dinner.   The half-day tour of Jerusalem highlights the major sites, seen with the commentary and insight of a professional guide. This package includes stops at the Jaffa Gate, the Tower of David, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, Mt. Zion, the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian Quarters of the Old City and much more.   To gain from our expertise and make your trip to Israel even more memorable, contact Ayelet Tours. Our day tours operate on a regular basis and provide you with a guide expert at illuminating history in a way that is accessible and entertaining.   To find out more about our Israel tours, must explore our website. You can also contact us directly at [email protected] or call 1-800-237-1517.

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Are you looking to tour Israel?

Gems in Israel   specializes in guided tours of Israel, particularly private tours of Israel, with an emphasis on Israel's lesser known tourist attractions, the Gems. 

We can plan a Jewish tour of Israel, a Christian tour of Israel, or a combined Israel itinerary, that will highlight both faiths. Our custom tours of Israel will focus on both biblical and modern history of Israel. Contact us ,   to discuss your private tour of Israel.

We can design anything from a 3-14 day guided tour of Israel. Repeat visitors to Israel will find our tours especially enticing. See what our clients have to say about our p rivate tours of Israel.

With our custom private tours of Israel, you tour at your own pace and get to see the 'must see' places in Israel. The tours are tailored to clients' wishes and are based on the season, special areas of interest (archaeology of Israel, biblical Israel, art of Israel, architecture in Israel and much more).

In preparing your Israel itinerary we'll take into account the makeup of the party (young, old, or both) and incorporate age appropriate activities that will be fun for the whole family.

We take care of you from the time you arrive in Israel until you leave. We book an  Israeli tour guide , hotel reservations, transportation and any other necessary logistical support.

A recent client said, " We really appreciated Baruch from the start. We felt free to ask any questions and he answered freely. You could tell from some of his comments he was ex Israel military. He was very knowledgeable and was able to convey some complex issues into concepts that we could understand. Yousef, was again a winner ..."., read more .

Each of Gems in Israel's tours will also include Israel's lesser-known tourist attractions,  the Gems , so that you get to see Israel, like the locals.

For a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tour of Israel visit one of our sister sites,  Bar Mitzvah   in Israel    or Bat Mitzvah in Israel , 

Contact us today, to begin planning your unforgettable private tour of Israel.

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+1-800-901-0228.

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For over 50 years, Gil Travel has been the leading travel management company specializing in Custom Jewish heritage tours of Israel. Our deep-rooted passion and expertise in high-end Jewish-related Israel travel have made us the go-to choice for those seeking a profound connection to their Israeli Jewish heritage.

Jewish tours to Israel are not just trips; they are unique opportunities to connect with your roots. Imagine a Jewish heritage trip to Israel where you can lounge by the sea, play matkot, and soak up the sun. Envision the excitement of counting down the days until you stand before the Dead Sea Scrolls in the architectural marvel of the Israel Museum which you have been talking about for years with colleagues or family.

Share stories from your guided fully custom heritage tour of Masada with your congregation, or express to your coworkers the profound impact you felt while visiting Yad Vashem.

Beyond the popular sites, Gil Travel can also introduce you to off-the-beaten-path experiences, like visits to ancient settlement ruins or museums celebrating the musical history of the Jewish people, and even locating your own family heritage to visit in Israel. In addition, for those that keen on diving into contemporary Israel, we’ve got you covered, from meeting locals to understanding the essence of The Startup Nation.

With decades of experience, we craft custom luxury heritage tours in Israel that cater to diverse groups, always keeping your unique Jewish heritage needs at the forefront. Our extensive knowledge of Israel and fleet of professionals ensures a meticulously planned itinerary, tailored just for you.

We’re proud to have collaborated with esteemed Jewish organizations like Birthright and Maccabi USA. Whether it’s all-inclusive Israel tours custom packages or private journeys , we send thousands on their dream high-end Jewish heritage trip to Israel annually. 

Our dedicated staff is committed to curating transformative Jewish tours, and we’re confident in helping you plan your ultimate Jewish heritage tour in Israel.

From $2,599

5 Days/4 Nights

From $2,939

13 days / 11 nights

Multiple Departures

From $3,797

15 days / 14 nights

From $4,625

12 Days/11 Nights

From $2,391

10 Days / 9 Nights

From $3,336

13 days / 12 nights

From $6,282

From $2,054

10 Days/9 Nights

From $3,351

15 Days/14 Nights

From $1,769

8 Days/7 Nights

From $2,649

11 Days/10 Nights

Suitable for: Family

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Tours to the Holy Land: Trips & Israel Tour Packages 2024, 2025

"Every place we visited was breathtakingly beautiful, with stunning landscapes and rich historical and cultural heritage. We highly recommend visiting Israel to anyone who wants to experience an unforgettable journey. We had a life-changing time there and are already planning to return." Simon L. and Beatriz G. – Tour to Israel/Egypt/Jordan February 2024 "I had a wonderful time in Israel. I felt while I was there the precautions that were taken for our safety were well in hand. I still got to experience many holy sites and be blessed by walking the path that Jesus walked. Every day was started in prayer, singing, or scripture reading which also extended the blessing of the trip." Quincie L. – Tour to Israel/Egypt/Jordan February 2024

Our Israel tours & Holy Land tours of 9-24 days for the Evangelical Protestant Bible believer are what Pilgrim Tours does best. Prepare yourself for a life-changing journey to walk where Jesus walked and visit Jerusalem, Galilee, & Samaria. Each of our Israel tours is led by a local guide who is an experienced expert on the historical, cultural, scenic, and spiritual history of the Holy Land. If you travel with 10 or more people, a private group tour can easily be arranged. Pilgrim Tours can customize an itinerary to fit your group needs with many options to choose from.

Concerned about safety? As a Christian tour operator, the staff at Pilgrim Tours takes a Biblical perspective regarding the current situation in the Middle East. We do not believe that peace in Israel is something that will occur until the Prince of Peace comes to restore His kingdom. Please do not make a reservation with us based on the hopes of a calm future. If you long for the special blessings only available in Israel, we will take you there. An expert driver and guide will carefully keep you from any areas that could present a problem and treat you to the riches of Israel as our special guest.

Below is a large variety of Israel tour packages departing in 2024 and 2025 year-round.

View Our New Israel Tour Highlights Video! Click Here

Reserve your tour at least 6 months in advance for an early booking discount, groups and parties of 6 or more click here for special rates, scheduled 2024 & 2025 israel tours.

View our Israel tours ranging from 9-24 days.

Take a tour of a lifetime and bring the Bible to life.

Featured Sites in Israel

Explore a vast selection of beautiful historical and Biblical locations throughout Israel with our Israel Holy Land tour. You can visit Jerusalem, Galilee, and parts of Samaria, getting the life-changing opportunity to see where Jesus and many other Biblical figures lived and walked. We even offer Holy Land tours that allow you to see the Dead Sea, the Garden Tomb, and the Jordan River Baptism Site. Like all of our Europe tours , our Israel Holy Land tours are led by local guides who have extensive knowledge of the area and its history. If you want to experience the history of Israel and see the Bible come to life, our Holy Land tours give you that opportunity.

The city of Jerusalem offers a unique convergence of Judaism, Christianity, and the Muslim faith. For Christians who visit Jerusalem, you will learn about many stories of the Bible while walking her streets. Many actors in the Bible such as Abraham, King David, King Solomon, the twelve disciples and Jesus all lived, visited, or spent time there. The Passion week of Christ will be highlighted during our stay as we visit the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Western Wall, the Way of Suffering, and the Garden Tomb.

Sea of Galilee

Nowhere in Israel does the Bible come to life more than along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Pilgrims who visit the Galilee region have the opportunity to imagine what life was like 2,000 years ago and what Jesus and the twelve disciples experienced while fishing on the Sea of Galilee. The peaceful setting and the natural wonders of the Golan Heights to the east and Mt. Arbel to the west make for a great way to start your morning in quiet reflection. During our tour, we explore the Biblical towns of Capernaum, Magdala, and Nazareth and take a meaningful cruise on the Sea of Galilee.

The Dead Sea is not only the lowest and most lifeless lake in the world, but also nearly 10 times saltier than the ocean. Travelers will enjoy the beautiful colors of the blue water and the red mountains of Jordan to the east. Take time to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime Dead Sea “float” either in the sea itself or at one of the warm salt water pools at our hotel. The Dead Sea experience is truly a bucket list visit you won’t want to miss!

Garden Tomb

Our visit to the Garden Tomb and its surrounding gardens is normally one of the highlights of our tour to Israel. The Garden Tomb is a rock-cut tomb in Jerusalem that was unearthed in 1867 and is considered by some Protestants to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Our visit offers a unique time of prayer, reflection, communion, and praise, which will be a special life-long memory for many travelers.

Jordan River Baptism Site

The Jordan River Baptist Site or “Yardenit” is a baptism site located along the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. This site is frequented by Christian Pilgrims who enjoy imagining the setting of the baptism of Jesus. For anyone who would like to be baptized in the Jordan River, Yardenit has been developed to be a peaceful setting with beautiful gardens, clean colored water, changing facilities, showers, and a nice souvenir shop.

Caesarea Philippi

To many Pilgrim travelers, Caesarea Philippi is a special surprise while on their tour. Located along the rushing springs of Mt. Hermon, the beautiful and natural setting is where Jesus asked his disciples “Who do men say that I am?” He asked this question while observing the pagan worship of the god Pan as worshipers offered their sacrifice at the “Gates of Hell.” Our time at Caesarea Philippi is one of many opportunities throughout our tour to see the lessons and message of the Bible come to light in a special way.

Israel Tours: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best month for the Holy Land tour?

Taking a trip to Israel during the spring or fall offers the most enjoyable weather of the year but normally has the largest crowds. If you want to enjoy a peaceful tour with fewer crowds, consider visiting between December and February or June and August. We offer Israel and Jordan tours throughout the year, so you can select a trip that works for your schedule.

How many days do you need for a Holy Land tour?

We offer several types of tours of the Holy Land, so the duration of your tour depends on the tour package you choose. The Best of Israel Tour is our most basic offering and includes a Sea of Galilee boat ride, a trip to the Jordan River Baptism Site, the Dead Sea, and many opportunities to walk on the same land Jesus walked on. This is our shortest trip at just 9 or 10 days. Our most involved trips allow you to experience a wide range of historical locations over the course of a few weeks. Egypt tours are included in some of these packages, as well as tours in Greece and other countries. These tours can take up to 24 days, giving you the chance to spend an extended period of time learning about and visiting different parts of the world. From our Turkey tours to all of our Israel Christian tours, all of our tours feature a first-class hotel rating for the country you visit. We do offer some upgraded tours that offer better lodging options. You can review our hotel categories at https://www.pilgrimtours.com/company/hotelcomparison.htm . Check out any of our tours to view a day-by-day itinerary and see what amenities are included with each tour.

What is the dress code in Israel?

The dress code in Israel is different from other parts of the world. There are a few dress code basics you should understand before booking Israel tours: When you’re in Israel, there is no strict dress code. You can wear what you feel comfortable wearing. However, both men and women should try to dress conservatively and cover their shoulders and knees when visiting any of the religious sites throughout Israel. Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid tank tops and shorts. Men need to cover their heads when visiting the Western Wall. Pilgrim Tours provides a Pilgrim Tours ball cap upon arrival in Israel, but you might consider purchasing an affordable kippa that you can bring when you visit Jewish sites. Some places may offer a free kippa, but these are generally low quality. (Women are not required to cover their heads at any sight.) You can figure out what you need to pack and how to dress each day by looking at the itinerary for our Holy Land tours. Guides normally offer guidance on how to dress for the next day while on tour. We also suggest looking at the extended weather forecast as you prepare and pack for your trip.

Is there a lot of walking involved on an Israel Tour?

Our Israel tours do require a significant amount of walking each day and you should be able to walk unassisted 3-4 miles per day on average. Make sure you have a comfortable pair of shoes that provide adequate support. While there are bus and boat rides during these tours, you have to walk quite a bit to explore some of the Biblical sites. Our tour guides normally give the group a few options at sites for those that have physical limitations. One thing to keep in mind is that there are many hills and valleys in Israel which can make walking even more taxing. The amount of walking you have to do may vary based on the tour you take, so look at the itinerary before choosing your tour. The good news is that Israel is a beautiful country to see on foot, and you’ll have several opportunities to sit down and give your feet a rest. As long as you have a good pair of shoes and comfortable clothes, it’s easy to forget about all the walking you’re doing and enjoy the tour.

What passport & visa information do I need for your Israel tours?

U.S. citizens need a valid U.S. passport with at least six months validity beyond their intended stay to enter Israel. Make two photocopies of your passport. Leave one copy at home and carry the other separately from your original. Israel: U.S. and Canadian Citizens do not need a Visa when entering Israel. Non U. S. /Canadian Citizens are responsible to fulfill appropriate entry requirements of destination. Contact your Consulate office for requirements.

What common languages will be spoken during your Israel tours?

Hebrew, Arabic and English.

What currency can I use on your Israel tours?

The U.S. dollar is widely accepted across Israel, and we suggest bringing about $30 for each day you’ll be on tour. U.S. dollars are recommended for use for small purchases and lunches. Lunches typically cost $15-20. It is important to bring about 20 $1 bills as some bathrooms charge a small fee for use. Credit cards may also be used for larger purchases. ATMs in Israel are all connected to European and American banking systems. Please be advised that the ATM machines dispense money in SHEKELS – NOT U.S. DOLLARS. Please notify your bank before traveling overseas.

Do I need to bring a converter for the Israel tour?

Israel uses the European plug with two round pins. You will need to bring along the necessary converters and adapters to operate any 120 volt appliances such as hair dryers and electric razors as well as camera and cell phone chargers. Electricity in Israel is 220 volts 50 Hz.

What is the time zone for your Israel tours?

The time zone for Israel is seven hours ahead of EST and two hours ahead of GMT.

What climate should I expect during your Israel tours?

In Israel the climate is temperate, and temperatures all year-round are reasonable. Israel has two main seasons: winter (from November to March) is cold and rainy in most parts of the country; summer (from April to October) is hot and dry with little or no rainfall. The desert areas can be extremely hot in summer time.

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"Pilgrim tours is who I'll be recommending people to travel with. We've been trying to get to Israel for two years and finally made it!! Great company from booking to on the ground with great guides. All details taken care of with great hotels, bus, and the best guides!! Wonderful experience!"

"We had a great experience in Israel with Pilgrim Tours. Everything went very well and there were no glitches or problems of any kind. The bus and driver were top notch as were the hotels and daily breakfast buffets. Our tour guide was great as his depth of knowledge of the people, history and languages Israel was quite amazing. We will very likely use Pilgrim again in the future."

"We have toured with Pilgrim Tours three times and what a blessing. Accommodations, excursions, information and food were all high quality. Post pandemic, we were so thankful to return to Israel."

"I couldn't have asked for more for a trip to the Holy Land than what Pilgrim Tours provided me. It was the perfect balance of spiritual reverence, history, geography, and social issues. I am so grateful for the experience that I had on this trip."

"Our church group just returned from taking a "Best of Israel" ten day tour. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I am so glad we chose Pilgrim tours. From our excellent hotel accommodations, to our wonderful tour guide, we enjoyed everything. Our trip exceeded our expectations. I would recommend Pilgrim Tours to anyone who is planning a trip to the Holy Land. We definitely plan to travel with them again."

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Over 50,000 supporters march in Walk With Israel rally in Toronto

Buoyed by the recovery of four Israeli hostages in Gaza, a record-breaking number joined the annual Walk with Israel in Toronto on Sunday morning.

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Buoyed by the recovery of four Israeli hostages in Gaza on Saturday, a record-breaking attendance of more than 50,000 people are believed to have joined the annual Walk with Israel in Toronto.

Over 50,000 supporters march in Walk With Israel rally in Toronto Back to video

“It’s incredibly important. We are a community that comes together. I think that’s been proven, especially since October 7,” Maureen Leshem, a cousin of Romi Gonen, an Israeli kidnapped from the Supernova music festival , told the National Post ahead of Sunday morning’s rally.

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“I think the other remarkable thing about today is that we have a high Iranian community that has shown up for us; Christian community that has shown up for us, as well. It’s extraordinary. It’s extremely meaningful,” Leshem added.

Oh hi there @DahliaKurtz ❤️ Great to walk with you in solidarity at today’s #WalkForIsrael in Toronto! pic.twitter.com/a0OeGTsUxv — Goldie Ghamari, MPP | گلسا قمری (@gghamari) June 9, 2024

Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.

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The march, organized by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA), also featured survivors from Kibbutz Be’eri, an Israeli community on the border with Gaza that suffered heavy casualties following the Oct. 7 invasion by Hamas.

“It makes us remember again, as always, that the Jewish people have been here for thousands of years, and we’re here to stay, and we have a very big mission to do in Israel, and there’s a mission to do here in the face of hatred,” one female member of the devastated community told the Post.

The survivor said that it was encouraging to hear about Saturday’s rescue of four Israelis abducted by Hamas but that it remained “difficult at the same time.”

“We still have 120 of them being held hostage and having their freedom taken away from them,” she said. “But each and every one of them that we get to release, that’s a huge comfort for every one of us.”

Noah Shack, the vice president countering antisemitism and hate with the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, was blown away by the attendance, which Toronto Police initially estimated to be well over 40,000, though the figures climbed as the day progressed. In a press release published Sunday afternoon, UJA projected that the number eclipsed 50,000.

“It is record-breaking attendance,” Shack told the Post. “We’ve been doing this event for the last 55 years and it’s just an unprecedented show of support from the Jewish community and beyond the Jewish community. It’s really inspiring to see.”

Incredible! Tens of thousands of people in Toronto are walking for Israel 💙🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/yi7jOrry9w — Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) June 9, 2024

On Saturday, local law enforcement arrested J onathan Szeftel, a 33-year-old man, for throwing a rock at a synagogue in Toronto, destroying a window. The skyrocketing levels of antisemitism in Canada were at the forefront of Shack’s mind.

“I never thought that we would see anything like this here in Canada. It’s absolutely shameful that this kind of a situation is facing anyone here, but in this case, particularly the Jewish community. We’re very grateful for the Toronto Police Service.”

A large police presence was scattered along the marching route on sections of Bathurst Street, a historically Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto, as interactions with counter-protesters were relatively tame. On at least one occasion, law enforcement used buses to block the two contingents from directly engaging with one another.

A couple of dozen anti-Israel demonstrators lined the path at various points carrying Palestinian flags and loudspeakers. On several occasions, counter-protesters chanted at the mostly Canadian Jewish crowd to, “Go back to Europe! Leave Palestine alone!”

Thank you @TorontoPolice for keeping us safe as we walked in solidarity with our Jewish neighbours in support of our democratic ally. 🇨🇦🇮🇱 @UJAWalk pic.twitter.com/BNyOmmIgqs — Kevin Vuong (@KevinVuongMP) June 9, 2024

One pro-Israel passerby encouraged fellow marchers not to get distracted by the counter-protester presence. “You can’t fix stupid. You’re fighting the wrong way if you’re trying to reason with them. I might as well reason with the bus,” the middle-aged man joked, pointing to the anti-Israel activists. “There’s no way to get through to them. There’s no way you can reason with them.”

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Birdbaths, troughs and fountains — just don’t call it a water feature

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Luke Edward Hall

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

We have moved house recently and have inherited a magnificent garden, but I really love the idea of bringing some water into it. Any ideas? 

A timely question! I have been pondering much the same thing. We’ve been renting our cottage in the country for five years now, and during this time we have made our first garden from scratch. As soon as we moved in, vegetable beds and borders were planned and dug. After a time, and in a very gradual way, we added beds for cut flowers and an army of pots, along with the odd stone bust on a plinth. We’ve mowed certain areas and let others grow wild.

Recently, though, I’ve been thinking how brilliant it would be to bring water into the garden. I’m wanting the sound, the glimmering reflections . . . It dawned on me the other week — perhaps after our recent visit to Tivoli’s Villa d’Este, with its profusion of fountains — that even though we rent our cottage, there are simple ways to add water. These are ways that don’t require diggers or an electricity supply; ways that will mean we can transport it with us when we do eventually move on.

My idea is to acquire an old stone trough. Hand carved from a single block of stone, these could be found on farms and stable yards but they were also often located on roads and canal towpaths, providing water for horses, mules and donkeys as they moved people and goods across the country.

I’ve got my eye on an 18th/19th-century trough from Cornwall, which jumped out at me due to its gloriously thick coating of moss. On advice from my garden designer friend Elizabeth Tyler, I plan to fill it with water and have it fitted with a submersible pump.

This idea appeals to me primarily because I find old troughs very beautiful. I can’t say I’m a fan of the term “water feature”, and I’d much rather track down something old and weathered that will fit snugly into my garden, surrounded by growing flowers and vegetables — versus heading to the garden centre and picking up a grey polyresin faux waterfall complete with LED lights.

My moss-covered trough feels suitably grotto-esque, the sort of thing Pan might be found lurking around, and I’m hoping that it will at least attract wildlife, such as dragonflies, if not actual frolicking shepherd gods.

Of course, you may want to consider a much grander plan than a simple old trough. Now, I love a rill. Look to one of my favourite gardens for inspiration: Rousham, in Oxfordshire. Its rills (channels that provide a flow of water from one area to another) snake and curve elegantly through the Arcadian landscape, gently pouring in and out of octagonal pools. A more formal approach can be seen at Broughton Grange, an Oxfordshire garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Here, a wide, straight stone rill carries water down to a large stone pond in the centre of the garden.

My moss-covered trough feels suitably grotto-esque, the sort of thing Pan might be found lurking around. I’m hoping it will attract wildlife if not actual frolicking shepherd gods

How about a fountain? Herefordshire’s English Salvage usually has on offer an expansive selection of reclaimed fountains, from larger stone numbers to wall fountains, which tend to be modelled on versions found in your average French village square. But, as the company’s website notes: “many urns, planters or statues could easily be converted to work as a fountain centrepiece, it is usually just a matter of how to conceal the water supply pipe”, so it really is worth thinking outside the box.

Of particular note, English Salvage is currently selling a very impressive wall fountain carved from bluestone with a lion head spout and rectangular trough. I’m also drawn to a patinated bronze wall fountain, with its head modelled on Hermes . If you’re short on space, something like this would be a wonderful addition to a small garden.

I visited Chelsea Flower Show last month; I always find it interesting to see how innovative designers get water into their gardens. In Naomi Slade and Dr Ed Barsley’s Flood Resilient Garden, sponsored by insurer Flood Re, large tanks for rainwater storage cleverly doubled as ornamental ponds, which were planted with a range of aquatics. The garden had been designed to gather rainwater in a further pond where it can soak into the ground, and the tanks can be emptied remotely when rain is forecast using smart technology.

Another thought: although I do very much love the idea of reusing an old trough, tank or water butt, handsome new water features certainly do exist on the market. I’m a fan of Chilstone , whose cast stone has been made by hand in Kent in the same way for 70 years. Along with its many impressive fountains, I like its humble birdbaths.

Surely adding a birdbath to a flowerbed is the simplest way to introduce water to a garden. Chilstone’s Cotswold Birdbath has a rustic appearance; its textured finish is designed to encourage moss growth. Urban Grow is another good maker: I like its Corten steel pond very much. The rusted patina takes about four to five months to develop and the result should be a very attractive weathered finish.

I wish you luck with your search, and I’m hoping my rustic watery plan will work out, too. I do rather wish I had a stone wall to add a fountain spout to, which would allow water to trickle into my old trough. A verdigris Green Man mask with a spout poking out of its mouth would be just the sylvan ticket, I feel.

If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at [email protected] . Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall

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The Latest | UN endorses US-backed cease-fire plan as Blinken holds talks on Gaza

Palestinians mourn over the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, outside the morgue in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, the Gaza Strip, Monday, June 10, 2024. Credit: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

The U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon overwhelmingly approved a U.S. resolution that welcomes a proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The U.S. says Israel has accepted the three-phase plan announced by U.S. President Joe Biden, and Hamas welcomed it in a statement shortly after the council's vote.

The resolution urges both Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also began a new visit to the region on Monday in the shadow of the dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza and turmoil in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, but neither made public remarks. Blinken will also travel to Israel, Jordan and Qatar.

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While Biden, Blinken and other U.S. officials have praised the hostage rescue, the operation resulted in the deaths of a large number of Palestinian civilians and may complicate the cease-fire push by emboldening Israel and hardening Hamas’ resolve to carry on fighting in the war it initiated with its Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 36,730 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. Palestinians are facing widespread hunger because the war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies. U.N. agencies say over 1 million in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July.

Palestinian women mourn near the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, outside the morgue in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, the Gaza Strip, Monday, June 10, 2024. Credit: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.

— Blinken returns to Mideast as Israel-Hamas cease-fire proposal hangs in balance after hostage rescue

— How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians in Gaza

— What does Israel’s rescue of 4 captives, and the killing of 274 Palestinians, mean for truce talks?

— Centrist Benny Gantz is quitting Israel’s war Cabinet, citing frustrations with Netanyahu

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

UN agency says Gaza officials report nearly 1,000 dead or injured during Israel's hostage rescue

UNITED NATIONS — Nearly 1,000 Palestinians were killed or injured during Israel’s military operation to rescue four hostages seized by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, the U.N. humanitarian office says, quoting a Gaza Health Ministry report.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report Monday that large numbers of casualties from the Israeli operation were taken to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, which is operating at nearly five times its capacity on only one electricity generator.

“Tens of injured people were lying on the floor amid severe shortages of medicines, medical consumables and fuel,” the U.N. office said.

The agency said the Gaza Health Ministry says that during Saturday’s intensive Israeli ground and air strikes at the An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, 274 Palestinians — including 64 children, 57 women and 37 elderly people — were killed and 698 others were injured.

The U.N. sent a mission to Al Aqsa hospital later Saturday and reported it was hosting about 700 patients, nearly five times its pre-war capacity. The U.N. agency said Nasser hospital in southern Khan Younis and Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza were also overwhelmed with injured from the Israeli attack.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the release of the four hostages, but he condemned the deaths and injuries to hundreds of Palestinians during the Israeli operation, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

Israeli Minister-Counsellor Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly said Hamas’ refusal to release some 120 hostages taken captive during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel through diplomacy means Israel’s efforts to bring them home must include military means.

Ben Naftaly told the U.N. Security Council that Saturday’s “heroic” Israeli military operation “was the perfect example of how this can be achieved.” She spoke after the council overwhelmingly approved a cease-fire resolution aimed at ending the eight-month war.

Ben Naftaly said the hostages freed Saturday were being held in residential buildings by Palestinian families with Hamas guards, saying that “so-called innocent civilians” were not only cooperating with Hamas but complicit in its “war crimes.”

“The loss of life of life in Gaza is a tragedy,” she said. “But if you don’t put the blame on Hamas, you’re advancing their strategy.”

4 men reported killed during raid by Israeli forces in West Bank village

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials say four men have been killed by Israeli forces in a village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement by the Israeli army and police, undercover police forces and soldiers late Monday tracked down a suspect wanted in an attack on a nearby settlement.

It said that the man was hiding in a compound with three other suspects and that forces opened fire when the men tried to run them over with a car and flee. It says weapons were found in the car.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deaths in the village of Kafr Ni’ma.

Hamas welcomes UN-endorsed cease-fire plan

BEIRUT — The militant Palestinian group Hamas welcomed Monday the cease-fire resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council, saying it is ready to cooperate with mediators to implement its principles.

Hamas’ statement came shortly after the U.N. Security Council approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The group says the resolution calls for a lasting cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoners exchange, reconstruction and the return of people displaced by the conflict to their homes.

Hamas added that it is ready to work with mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel to implement the resolution. Qatar and Egypt have been acting as mediators between Hamas and Israel in efforts to end the conflict.

Hamas' statement was among the strongest to date, but it stressed the group would continue “our struggle” to end the Israeli occupation and work on setting up a “fully sovereign” Palestinian state.

UN endorses US-sponsored plan for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council on Monday approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas, which initially said it viewed the proposal “positively,” to accept the three-phase plan.

The resolution — approved overwhelmingly with 14 of the 15 Security Council members voting in favor and Russia abstaining — also calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

Whether Israel and Hamas agree to the three-phase cease-fire plan remains in question, but the resolution’s strong support in the U.N.’s most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties.

Israeli police release footage they say shows the rescue of 3 hostages

JERUSALEM — Israeli police have released dramatic footage showing the moment they burst into an apartment in central Gaza and rescued three Israeli hostages.

In the footage, released on Monday evening, body camera footage shows police forces storming through the crowded streets of Nuseirat, firing their weapons and then rushing into an apartment where the three hostages were cowering behind a sofa.

The police ask for their names and then tell them, “Everything is OK, we are here to rescue you, stay calm,” as they continue shooting. The police appear to report back to their commanders that the hostages have been located. The footage could not be independently confirmed by The Associated Press.

The army said that the three captives — Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 — were held in the home of a Hamas operative in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel rescued a fourth hostage from a nearby apartment in the same raid on Saturday afternoon. All four of the hostages were kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 attack.

At least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, were killed in the operation, according to Palestinian health officials. A police commando also was killed.

Hamas and other militants are still holding some 120 hostages, around a third of whom are believed to have died. On Monday, Meir Jan, Kozlov and Ziv were released from the hospital. Argamani is at another hospital where her mother is in hospice for terminal brain cancer.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders meet in Qatar to weigh cease-fire options

BEIRUT — The leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad met Monday in Qatar to discuss a proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza, according to a statement released after the talks concluded.

The statement said Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and Ziad Nakhaleh of Islamic Jihad discussed “indirect talks” to reach a cease-fire. There are no direct talks between Hamas and Israel. According to the statement released by Islamic Jihad, the leaders said any deal must lead to a permanent cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, reconstruction and “a serious exchange deal” between hostages in Gaza and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Monday afternoon in New York on a U.S. resolution that welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden, which it says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas to accept the three-phase plan. The plan aims to end an eight-month war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The toll does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

UN Security Council will vote on a US resolution that welcomes a cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Monday afternoon on a U.S. resolution that welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden, which it says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas to accept the three-phase plan.

The draft resolution urges both Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

If adopted, it would represent the first Security Council resolution on a cease-fire plan aimed at ultimately ending the eight-month war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told reporters earlier Monday that the United States hoped for a quick vote but wanted to make sure all 15 Security Council members would support the resolution.

“That’s the key here, it’s getting all council members on board with this resolution which gives us the best, most realistic opportunity to bring at least a temporary halt to this war,” he said.

The draft resolution outlines the three-phase plan starting with “an immediate, full, and complete cease-fire with the release of hostages” and remains of those who died, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza and the return of Palestinian civilians to all areas in the territory. It also requires the safe distribution of humanitarian assistance “at scale throughout the Gaza Strip.”

In phase two, the draft resolution says that with the agreement of Israel and Hamas, “a permanent end to hostilities, in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” will take place.

Phase three would launch “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the remains of any deceased hostages still in Gaza to their families.”

In a new provision, the final draft of the resolution would “underline” that the proposal says if negotiations take longer than six weeks for the first phase, “the cease-fire will still continue as long as negotiations continue.”

An Israeli drone is shot down over Lebanon

BEIRUT — The Israeli military says one of its drones was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while flying over Lebanon.

Monday’s announcement came after residents of the Apple Province region in south Lebanon said they saw a drone crashing in the area.

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said its fighters shot down the Hermes 900 Kochav drone.

The Hermes 900 Kochav is a medium altitude and long endurance drone that can carry four anti-tank guided missiles.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for shooting down five drones since the exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border began a day after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, followed by eight months of Israeli assaults in Gaza.

Over the past nearly eight months, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon. Most of them were fighters but they also included more than 70 civilians and noncombatants. In Israel, 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed since October.

Police raid offices of a close Netanyahu ally

JERUSALEM — Israeli police have raided the offices of one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest allies after launching a criminal investigation of fraud.

The country’s attorney general and state prosecutor ordered an investigation into the Transportation Ministry after Channel 13 TV reported that Transportation Minister Miri Regev gave preferential treatment to Israeli cities and towns whose local officials supported her politically.

Regev is one of Netanyahu’s staunchest supporters in the governing Likud party and has been a lightning rod for controversy throughout her political career.

Officers searched the ministry’s Jerusalem offices and confiscated documents, the police said.

Israeli media reported Monday that Regev called the probe “fraudulent” but said the ministry would comply with the investigation

Netanyahu is currently on trial over a series of corruption allegations.

Palestinians say a 15-year-old was killed in a West Bank raid

JERUSALEM — Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian in an overnight raid on Al-Fara’a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

The military said Monday that its soldiers had begun a raid targeting militants, killing one and wounding two others with live fire.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the boy killed as 15-year-old Mahmoud Nabrisi and said five others were wounded in the built-up camp, which dates back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Also Monday, Israel’s border police said it killed a Palestinian in Tulkarem, a volatile city in the northern West Bank, during an undercover operation to arrest a suspected militant. During the operation, an undercover sniper shot and killed a Palestinian wearing a military vest in the area, the police said.

Palestinian health officials did not immediately confirm the Tulkarem killing, but a traditional funeral procession was planned for Monday afternoon.

Violence in the West Bank escalated dramatically after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Frequent Israeli operations in Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank have driven up a Palestinian death toll that now exceeds 530.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

Skeletal remains found in Woodbury ... Gilgo trial delay ... JetBlue coming to MacArthur ... Lavender in bloom

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The Latest | UN endorses US-backed cease-fire plan as Blinken holds talks on Gaza

The U.N. Security Council has overwhelmingly approved a U.S. resolution welcoming a cease-fire proposal

The U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon overwhelmingly approved a U.S. resolution that welcomes a proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The U.S. says Israel has accepted the three-phase plan announced by U.S. President Joe Biden , and Hamas welcomed it in a statement shortly after the council’s vote.

The resolution urges both Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also began a new visit to the region on Monday in the shadow of the dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza and turmoil in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo, but neither made public remarks. Blinken will also travel to Israel, Jordan and Qatar.

While Biden, Blinken and other U.S. officials have praised the hostage rescue, the operation resulted in the deaths of a large number of Palestinian civilians and may complicate the cease-fire push by emboldening Israel and hardening Hamas’ resolve to carry on fighting in the war it initiated with its Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 36,730 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry , which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. Palestinians are facing widespread hunger because the war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies . U.N. agencies say over 1 million in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July.

Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack , in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.

— Blinken returns to Mideast as Israel-Hamas cease-fire proposal hangs in balance after hostage rescue

— How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians in Gaza

— What does Israel’s rescue of 4 captives, and the killing of 274 Palestinians, mean for truce talks?

— Centrist Benny Gantz is quitting Israel’s war Cabinet, citing frustrations with Netanyahu

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here’s the latest:

UN agency says Gaza officials report nearly 1,000 dead or injured during Israel's hostage rescue

UNITED NATIONS — Nearly 1,000 Palestinians were killed or injured during Israel’s military operation to rescue four hostages seized by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, the U.N. humanitarian office says, quoting a Gaza Health Ministry report.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report Monday that large numbers of casualties from the Israeli operation were taken to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, which is operating at nearly five times its capacity on only one electricity generator.

“Tens of injured people were lying on the floor amid severe shortages of medicines, medical consumables and fuel,” the U.N. office said.

The agency said the Gaza Health Ministry says that during Saturday’s intensive Israeli ground and air strikes at the An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, 274 Palestinians — including 64 children, 57 women and 37 elderly people — were killed and 698 others were injured.

The U.N. sent a mission to Al Aqsa hospital later Saturday and reported it was hosting about 700 patients, nearly five times its pre-war capacity. The U.N. agency said Nasser hospital in southern Khan Younis and Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza were also overwhelmed with injured from the Israeli attack.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the release of the four hostages, but he condemned the deaths and injuries to hundreds of Palestinians during the Israeli operation, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

Israeli Minister-Counsellor Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly said Hamas’ refusal to release some 120 hostages taken captive during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel through diplomacy means Israel’s efforts to bring them home must include military means.

Ben Naftaly told the U.N. Security Council that Saturday’s “heroic” Israeli military operation “was the perfect example of how this can be achieved.” She spoke after the council overwhelmingly approved a cease-fire resolution aimed at ending the eight-month war.

Ben Naftaly said the hostages freed Saturday were being held in residential buildings by Palestinian families with Hamas guards, saying that “so-called innocent civilians” were not only cooperating with Hamas but complicit in its “war crimes.”

“The loss of life of life in Gaza is a tragedy,” she said. “But if you don’t put the blame on Hamas, you’re advancing their strategy.”

4 men reported killed during raid by Israeli forces in West Bank village

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials say four men have been killed by Israeli forces in a village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement by the Israeli army and police, undercover police forces and soldiers late Monday tracked down a suspect wanted in an attack on a nearby settlement.

It said that the man was hiding in a compound with three other suspects and that forces opened fire when the men tried to run them over with a car and flee. It says weapons were found in the car.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deaths in the village of Kafr Ni’ma.

Hamas welcomes UN-endorsed cease-fire plan

BEIRUT — The militant Palestinian group Hamas welcomed Monday the cease-fire resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council, saying it is ready to cooperate with mediators to implement its principles.

Hamas’ statement came shortly after the U.N. Security Council approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The group says the resolution calls for a lasting cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoners exchange, reconstruction and the return of people displaced by the conflict to their homes.

Hamas added that it is ready to work with mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel to implement the resolution. Qatar and Egypt have been acting as mediators between Hamas and Israel in efforts to end the conflict.

Hamas’ statement was among the strongest to date, but it stressed the group would continue “our struggle” to end the Israeli occupation and work on setting up a “fully sovereign” Palestinian state.

UN endorses US-sponsored plan for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council on Monday approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas, which initially said it viewed the proposal “positively,” to accept the three-phase plan.

The resolution — approved overwhelmingly with 14 of the 15 Security Council members voting in favor and Russia abstaining — also calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

Whether Israel and Hamas agree to the three-phase cease-fire plan remains in question, but the resolution’s strong support in the U.N.’s most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties.

Israeli police release footage they say shows the rescue of 3 hostages

JERUSALEM — Israeli police have released dramatic footage showing the moment they burst into an apartment in central Gaza and rescued three Israeli hostages.

In the footage, released on Monday evening, body camera footage shows police forces storming through the crowded streets of Nuseirat, firing their weapons and then rushing into an apartment where the three hostages were cowering behind a sofa.

The police ask for their names and then tell them, “Everything is OK, we are here to rescue you, stay calm,” as they continue shooting. The police appear to report back to their commanders that the hostages have been located. The footage could not be independently confirmed by The Associated Press.

The army said that the three captives — Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 — were held in the home of a Hamas operative in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp.

Israel rescued a fourth hostage from a nearby apartment in the same raid on Saturday afternoon. All four of the hostages were kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 attack.

At least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, were killed in the operation , according to Palestinian health officials. A police commando also was killed.

Hamas and other militants are still holding some 120 hostages, around a third of whom are believed to have died. On Monday, Meir Jan, Kozlov and Ziv were released from the hospital. Argamani is at another hospital where her mother is in hospice for terminal brain cancer.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders meet in Qatar to weigh cease-fire options

BEIRUT — The leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad met Monday in Qatar to discuss a proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza, according to a statement released after the talks concluded.

The statement said Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and Ziad Nakhaleh of Islamic Jihad discussed “indirect talks” to reach a cease-fire. There are no direct talks between Hamas and Israel. According to the statement released by Islamic Jihad, the leaders said any deal must lead to a permanent cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip , an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, reconstruction and “a serious exchange deal” between hostages in Gaza and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Monday afternoon in New York on a U.S. resolution that welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden, which it says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas to accept the three-phase plan. The plan aims to end an eight-month war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The toll does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

UN Security Council will vote on a US resolution that welcomes a cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Monday afternoon on a U.S. resolution that welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden, which it says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas to accept the three-phase plan.

The draft resolution urges both Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

If adopted, it would represent the first Security Council resolution on a cease-fire plan aimed at ultimately ending the eight-month war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told reporters earlier Monday that the United States hoped for a quick vote but wanted to make sure all 15 Security Council members would support the resolution.

“That’s the key here, it’s getting all council members on board with this resolution which gives us the best, most realistic opportunity to bring at least a temporary halt to this war,” he said.

The draft resolution outlines the three-phase plan starting with “an immediate, full, and complete cease-fire with the release of hostages” and remains of those who died, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza and the return of Palestinian civilians to all areas in the territory. It also requires the safe distribution of humanitarian assistance “at scale throughout the Gaza Strip.”

In phase two, the draft resolution says that with the agreement of Israel and Hamas, “a permanent end to hostilities, in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” will take place.

Phase three would launch “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the remains of any deceased hostages still in Gaza to their families.”

In a new provision, the final draft of the resolution would “underline” that the proposal says if negotiations take longer than six weeks for the first phase, “the cease-fire will still continue as long as negotiations continue.”

An Israeli drone is shot down over Lebanon

BEIRUT — The Israeli military says one of its drones was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while flying over Lebanon.

Monday’s announcement came after residents of the Apple Province region in south Lebanon said they saw a drone crashing in the area.

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said its fighters shot down the Hermes 900 Kochav drone.

The Hermes 900 Kochav is a medium altitude and long endurance drone that can carry four anti-tank guided missiles.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for shooting down five drones since the exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border began a day after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, followed by eight months of Israeli assaults in Gaza.

Over the past nearly eight months, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon. Most of them were fighters but they also included more than 70 civilians and noncombatants. In Israel, 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed since October.

Police raid offices of a close Netanyahu ally

JERUSALEM — Israeli police have raided the offices of one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest allies after launching a criminal investigation of fraud.

The country’s attorney general and state prosecutor ordered an investigation into the Transportation Ministry after Channel 13 TV reported that Transportation Minister Miri Regev gave preferential treatment to Israeli cities and towns whose local officials supported her politically.

Regev is one of Netanyahu’s staunchest supporters in the governing Likud party and has been a lightning rod for controversy throughout her political career.

Officers searched the ministry’s Jerusalem offices and confiscated documents, the police said.

Israeli media reported Monday that Regev called the probe “fraudulent” but said the ministry would comply with the investigation

Netanyahu is currently on trial over a series of corruption allegations.

Palestinians say a 15-year-old was killed in a West Bank raid

JERUSALEM — Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian in an overnight raid on Al-Fara’a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

The military said Monday that its soldiers had begun a raid targeting militants, killing one and wounding two others with live fire.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the boy killed as 15-year-old Mahmoud Nabrisi and said five others were wounded in the built-up camp, which dates back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Also Monday, Israel’s border police said it killed a Palestinian in Tulkarem, a volatile city in the northern West Bank, during an undercover operation to arrest a suspected militant. During the operation, an undercover sniper shot and killed a Palestinian wearing a military vest in the area, the police said.

Palestinian health officials did not immediately confirm the Tulkarem killing, but a traditional funeral procession was planned for Monday afternoon.

Violence in the West Bank escalated dramatically after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Frequent Israeli operations in Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank have driven up a Palestinian death toll that now exceeds 530.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

In a city known for traffic, LAX is a standout for its gridlock. Can it be fixed?

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Alexa Woodward arrived in California for the first time and was immediately lost. Outside of Los Angeles International Airport, she and a friend tried unsuccessfully to order an Uber. The hum of jackhammers added to the anxiety, and except for the smell of weed in the air, this wasn’t the introduction she had expected.

“It’s not super clean, there’s lots of construction, and we don’t know where to go,” the North Carolinian said, before a Times reporter led her to the shuttle for the designated taxi and ride-share lot.

For decades, the trip in and out of LAX has been one of the most challenging parts of a journey. The serenity of the Pacific Ocean is only two miles away, but that can be difficult to remember as travelers spend an hour on the nightmarish horseshoe loop known as 1 World Way.

A $30-billion overhaul promises to make the experience better before the 2028 Olympics and the airport’s centennial. A glimpse of the elevated tracks of the long-awaited Automated People Mover soaring above the airport teases at the future. But until the system is complete, the chaos that many have endured before takeoff and after landing remains all but inevitable without extensive trip planning, extra time to allow for delays or travel at non-peak hours — especially for first-timers trying to navigate the airport.

“This is the worst airport I’ve ever been to,” Jennifer Martin said. The Salt Lake City resident, her husband and two young kids gave up on finding the free shuttle that would take them to the rental car area after asking about 10 people for directions. They ultimately opted to spend on a ride-hail service in order to avoid more stress.

“It is a complete cluster,” said Martin. “We should have flown into San Diego.”

LAX sees few travelers on layover, just moving from one terminal to the next.

LAX People Mover gets $200 million more to resolve claims between contractor and airport

The money will be used to settle claims between the Automated People Mover contractor and Los Angeles International Airport.

May 3, 2024

“About 65% of people are coming from or going to the Los Angeles area,” said Megan Ryerson, the UPS chair of transportation at the University of Pennsylvania.

While other major airports, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, are hubs for connections, LAX is used mainly for nonstop flights. That has led to ground transportation traffic that has only increased as flight travel has expanded and L.A. County’s population has grown from 4 million in 1950 — a year after the airport became an international destination — to 10 million today.

Roughly 700 nonstop flights arrive and depart each day, and about 70 airlines fly in and out. The airport saw more that 75 million travelers last year — a number that hasn’t surpassed the pre-pandemic peak in 2019 but has increased from roughly 67 million in 2000 and 35 million in 1979 .

This all means that hundreds of thousands of travelers funnel in and out each week via one road that is also utilized by many of the more than 50,000 airport employees. And that road’s main connection is to one of the nation’s most infamously clogged freeways: the 405.

“Things that were perfectly reasonable in 1966 become problematic in 2024,” said Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA.

Unlike some other airports, Joshua Schank of InfraStrategies said LAX doesn’t have a significant issue with airside capacity (the amount of air traffic and aircraft operations it can handle at a given time), largely due to four runways that take advantage of the typically good weather. Instead, most problems have centered around landside access.

“That’s why LAX is so focused on building better terminals and wider terminals that can accommodate more people,” Schank said. “If they want to grow, they have to grow on the landside and accommodate greater numbers of people getting to the airport.”

Without a direct public transit connection, such as exists at most airports throughout the country, the bottleneck will get worse with more passengers. And while the horseshoe loop design isn’t uncommon (it’s also seen at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport), LAX is limited to one entrance and one exit that dumps onto busy Century and Sepulveda boulevards before drivers make their way to the freeway.

The airport has tried to address capacity needs over the years with the addition of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and a second-level roadway ahead of the 1984 Olympics. But those extra lanes didn’t take long to jam up as the yearly average number of passengers over the past four decades grew.

LAX recently established two cellphone waiting lots outside the airport, where drivers can sit for up to two hours as they wait for someone to land, in an attempt to ease traffic, and the nearby LAXit lot designated for ride-hail services and taxis. Those additions don’t necessarily save passengers time and aren’t apparent for everyone. Taking the shuttle or walking to the LAXit lot might add 30 minutes or more to a trip.

“They’ve done more and more over time to move the cars onto the outer part of the roadway and be able to move the shuttle buses more quickly,” Taylor said. But “the easiest default is to drive [to a parking structure] or even get dropped off.”

On-site parking is steep, at about $60 a day, and while there is budget parking away from the airport, the price can add up.

The People Mover could eliminate some of the traffic in the horseshoe by taking passengers to and from airport terminals, the Metro C Line, long-term and short-term parking and a consolidated rental car facility. The $2.2-billion rental car project under construction will house more than 18,000 vehicles in a 6.3-million-square-foot space near the 405.

Owner Los Angeles World Airports has allocated $2.9 billion for the 2.25-mile People Mover line, which is expected to open in late 2025.

The train is expected to significantly reduce vehicular traffic — if travelers can change long-standing habits.

“There’s all sorts of reasons to believe that when this new capacity is finally up and running, it will take a lot of pressure off the airport [traffic],” Taylor said.

LAX plans to update terminal and gate numbers ahead of Olympics

Los Angeles Airport’s board of commissioners has designated $43.6 million to improve the ways travelers navigate the airport.

April 26, 2024

The addition could also have a ripple effect across Los Angeles.

“A lot of the traffic in the city is attributable to people going to and from the airport,” Ryerson said. “So if we could reduce it even a little, it could have really big positive impacts throughout.”

Ryerson said that key to improving congestion outside of the airport is effectively communicating to outsiders how to utilize transit options, such as the Flyaway bus that takes travelers to and from Union Station or Van Nuys for less than $10 each way. Travelers can also take a free airport shuttle to and from Metro’s C Line stop at Aviation if they allow for the extra time.

“When we think about transportation planning, it is absolutely critical to think, ‘Who are we planning for?’” she said. “Is your transit system accessible and understandable for people who have never been here before?”

It took Toronto resident Gupreeth Sethi about 30 minutes to figure out how to get her Disneyland-bound family to baggage claim and to the ride-hail area at LAX.

“It wasted my time,” Sethi said.

Her partner, Lucky Singh, said no employee was readily available to help them, and for anyone but frequent fliers, the system is complicated to navigate.

“It was a lot of struggle to get here,” Singh said. “It should be done better.”

LAX recently designated $43 million to update its signage and terminal and gate numbering system to improve the way travelers navigate the airport.

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Nov. 15, 2023

For example, it’s not obvious that all terminals at LAX connect. That means that once past security, fliers can make their way from any terminal to shiny Tom Bradley International for sushi or wine and to shop for luxury brands like Tumi and Hermes. They can catch a live music show while plane-spotting at West Gates, take advantage of one of the freestanding pianos at Terminals 4 and 7 or explore art installations at Terminals 1 and 2.

In this transition state, the mix of old and new, airy and cramped, can be disorienting. Parts of the 2.2.-mile interior horseshoe go from gleaming glass walkways with colorful murals and paintings to narrow, dimly lit corridors filled with exposed wires and blowing fans. The goal is for a more seamless travel experience by 2028.

Getting to and from LAX isn’t a struggle for everyone, especially those who know their way around and travel at non-peak hours.

For some visitors, the experience is better than what they’re used to at their home airports. A newly engaged couple from Atlanta said the construction felt minimal compared to what they routinely encounter at Hartsfield-Jackson, the busiest airport in the U.S.

“The grass isn’t always greener,” Julian Thomas said.

Billions of dollars have gone into updating terminals, including a nearly $980-million update and extension of Terminal 1; $1.7 billion to modernize Tom Bradley’s West Gates; $1.6 billion to update Terminals 4 and 5 and centralize the ticketing, screening and baggage claim areas; and $230 million to improve Terminal 6. An additional concourse is being built off-site and will be transferred to LAX upon completion.

The airport has gradually expanded for decades with limitations, Taylor said. And while offloading some airline traffic to another regional airport could help ease capacity, an airport can’t easily force an airline to move out.

Ryerson said it’s a “delicate dance” between how airports update infrastructure and how airlines plan their networks as both independently try to anticipate travel and passenger needs.

“Airport planners are making decisions with the information they have now, and then thinking toward the future as best that they can,” she said, pointing out that many airports were first built near water, when seaplane travel was expected to dominate.

“You can’t build half a runway; you can’t build half an airport. You have to go all in with these big infrastructure decisions,” she said about what is in part guesswork. “We’re stuck with the results for decades.”

More to Read

Get ready, fliers: Memorial Day weekend will kick off a humming summer at LAX

May 23, 2024

LAX’s already-miserable traffic is expected to get a lot worse this week. Here’s what to know

April 9, 2024

Letters to the Editor: The LAX ‘horseshoe’ is a cluster. Try these solutions before the People Mover opens

April 3, 2024

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Colleen Shalby is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She has covered education, the pandemic, the vaccine rollout and breaking news throughout California. She was part of the team that was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist for coverage of a dive-boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast. Shalby grew up in Southern California and graduated from George Washington University. She previously worked for PBS NewsHour and joined The Times in 2015.

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Hermes Tours

The Israeli Air Force may have to think twice about taking on Hezbollah

• Hezbollah may have surface-to-air missiles than can threat Israeli aircraft.
• A recent Israeli strike appears to have damaged a Iran-made Sayyad-2 missile.
• The possibility of missiles will "force" the IDF to be more cautious over Lebanon, an expert said.

Much has been written about Hezbollah's enormous arsenal of surface-to-surface missiles and rockets and the devastation they could unleash against Israel. A recent incident, however, briefly put the spotlight on Hezbollah's lesser-known air defenses.

After the Israeli Air Force targeted Hezbollah sites south of the Lebanese city of Sidon, footage emerged purportedly showing the remains of an Iranian-built Sayyad-2 surface-to-air missile. The Israeli military stated the Hezbollah sites targeted "posed a threat to Israeli aircraft."

Israeli media reported that the footage was "apparently the first public evidence suggesting that Hezbollah has such missiles," as had been previously claimed. Hezbollah has traded tit-for-tat strikes with Israel since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks, but the air defenses suggest Israel's Air Force would face a much greater threat over southern Lebanon than it has in Gaza's skies.

The Sayyad-2 is a medium-range anti-aircraft missile Iran developed by heavily reverse engineering the American RIM-66 Standard Missile, SM-1, Tehran acquired before the 1979 revolution. The Sayyad-2 has a shorter range than its successors. The most advanced, the Sayyad-4B, which Iran developed for its Bavar-373 air defense system, has an estimated range of 186 miles .

In October, a Hezbollah-appointed guide showcased some of the group's firepower to visiting journalists and hinted they have long-range air defenses like the Russian S-300. "Do you think we don't have S-300?" he said . "If Iran has S-300, absolutely Hezbollah will take S-300."

It's unclear if Iran has tried to transfer the Bavar-373, Iran's domestically-developed equivalent to the S-300, to Hezbollah with its Sayyad 4/4B missiles.

"Hezbollah's air defense capabilities are very opaque," Nicholas Blanford, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of the 2011 book "Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel," told Business Insider. "More is known about other systems in their arsenal than air defense because Hezbollah very rarely uses it."

"Nevertheless, if Iran possesses or can acquire an air defense system that suits Hezbollah's needs, then it is safe to assume that Hezbollah probably will have it," Blanford said.

The Hezbollah expert also noted that possession of missiles like the Sayyad-2 "certainly raises the threat level" to Israeli aircraft compared to shoulder-fired missiles. He also pointed out that Israel has "always maintained" that any Hezbollah acquisition of advanced air defense systems amounts to a "red line."

Since 2013, Israel has sustained an air campaign in Syria targeting Iranian weapons shipments to Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring high-end systems. It has intensified this campaign since the Hamas 10/7 attacks, likely making it more difficult than ever for Iran to transfer weapons to Hezbollah via Syria. During this campaign, Israeli jets have evaded and, at times, destroyed Syria's Russian-built short and medium-range Tor and Pantsir air defenses.

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The discovery of the Sayyad-2 suggests Iran transferred at least some anti-aircraft missiles to its most valued regional proxy.

"It has been reported that Hezbollah possesses Sayyad-2 anti-aircraft missiles previously, and the Israeli strike on Friday solidified those claims," Freddy Khoueiry, a global security analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at the risk intelligence company RANE, told BI. "It was suspected that Hezbollah has been using the Sayyad-2 to shoot down some of Israel's advanced Hermes 900 drones over Lebanon."

"Hezbollah has for the past few years boasted of advancing its air-defensive capabilities, and the discovery of Hezbollah's possession of Sayyad-2 demonstrates how much they obtained advanced anti-air systems," Khoueiry said.

Israel has experience destroying formidable air defenses in Lebanon. When it invaded the country in 1982, it launched a coordinated, large-scale suppression of enemy air defense operation against an array of Soviet-built surface-to-air missile batteries Syria had deployed to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

Operation Mole Cricket 19 obliterated the Syrian missiles and saw Israel's new F-15 and F-16 fighters dogfight the Syrian Air Force, shooting down 82 Syrian aircraft without losing a single fighter.

While Hezbollah is unlikely ever to field a network of anti-aircraft missiles that large, some of its air defenses could nevertheless impact Israeli air operations over Lebanon.

"Generally speaking, this will unlikely deter Israel's Air Force from operating over Lebanon but will likely force the Israelis to become more cautious amid Hezbollah's changing tactics and their more advanced capabilities, such as having their fighter jets flying at higher altitudes or using stealthier jets like the F-35," Khoueiry said.

"Israel's Air Force is much more advanced and can bypass these air defenses, maintaining its immense air superiority, but Israeli drones and helicopters operating over Lebanon could be more at risk, especially if the IDF expands its operations in Lebanon."

Khoueiry doubts Iran will transfer strategic systems like the Bavar-373 to Lebanon.

"It is more likely that Iran can and did transfer medium-sized and range defensive systems to Hezbollah," Khoueiry said. "Larger anti-air defense systems like the Bavar-373 are harder to transfer given their size, but also given that Lebanon's geography is small and Hezbollah would not be able to properly operate them there."

The RANE analyst believes that if Iran did deploy the Bavar-373 in the region, it would send it somewhere like Syria, although he estimates that's unlikely at this point.

"The discovery of the Sayyad-2 likely hints that Iran has been able to transfer more similar advanced defensive systems that Hezbollah is likely to use in a progressive way as the conflict escalates or in the event of a wider war, especially given the likely limited number they possess," Khoueiry said.

Watch: Israel now waging war on three battle fronts — Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Syria

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Real Teenagers, Fake Nudes: The Rise of Deepfakes in American Schools

Students are using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of their classmates..

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Natasha Singer

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Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Elisheba Ittoop and Dan Powell

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Warning: this episode contains strong language, descriptions of explicit content and sexual harassment

A disturbing new problem is sweeping American schools: Students are using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of their classmates and then share them without the person depicted even knowing.

Natasha Singer, who covers technology, business and society for The Times, discusses the rise of deepfake nudes and one girl’s fight to stop them.

On today’s episode

Natasha Singer , a reporter covering technology, business and society for The New York Times.

Background reading

Using artificial intelligence, middle and high school students have fabricated explicit images of female classmates and shared the doctored pictures.

Spurred by teenage girls, states have moved to ban deepfake nudes .

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Natasha Singer writes about technology, business and society. She is currently reporting on the far-reaching ways that tech companies and their tools are reshaping public schools, higher education and job opportunities. More about Natasha Singer

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