Foreign Office officials have announced that Britain is planning flights to get stranded British citizens out of Israel.

There will be more flights “in the coming days, subject to security checks” after the first plane leaves Tel Aviv on Thursday.

British nationals who are eligible to leave will be contacted directly, and they should not go to the airport unless they receive a call.

UK-bound passengers will be helped by a team of diplomats in Israel.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said it is “working to ensure that the flight can proceed as soon as possible.”

Because commercial routes are still available, the UK government said earlier this week that evacuation flights would not be arranged.

The flights arranged by the government are commercial services chartered by the Foreign Office. A fee of £300 will be charged to each passenger.

British nationals, including dual nationals, and dependants of British nationals normally resident in the UK, will be able to take seats, according to a statement.

A British official at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport said all seats have been allocated for the first flight.

A text message has been sent to those who will be traveling on the flight.