ByTOBIAS SIEGAL
After being delayed several times, Israeli airline company Israir announced that the two rescue flights for Israelis stranded abroad amid the lockdown of the Ben-Gurion Airport, will depart on Monday, Israeli media reported Saturday evening. 

The delays were caused due to the Israeli government failing to agree on their necessary approvals.

The rescue flights are meant for Israelis who were abroad when the decision to shut down the country's airport was made, as well as for Israeli patients who require medical treatment abroad.

An Israir rescue flight was originally scheduled to depart on Sunday, but was delayed after the government meeting meant to take place the day prior was cancelled, meaning that the flight could not be approved in time.

But on Saturday Israir announced that the flight would be delayed by 24 hours and will depart Israel on Monday, most likely at 2:45 p.m.

The government is expected to convene on Sunday and to establish a permanent committee that will examine and approve exceptions to be allowed on rescue flights back and forth to Israel.

According to Maariv, The Jerusalem Post's sister publication, there are currently dozens of Israelis with the required medical approvals waiting in Frankfurt, Germany, where the rescue flights are expected to arrive. Frankfurt was chosen as the primary destination for sending rescue flights due to its large international airport, that still receives international flights from most countries. 

However, reaching Frankfurt in time might be challenging for other Israelis not currently in Germany, or people suffering from medical conditions that prevent them from long-distance traveling.

Meanwhile, reports in the United Kingdom and Germany have indicated that Germany has halted all incoming flights from several destinations, including the UK, meaning that many Israelis currently there might not be able to reach Frankfurt and return to Israel. 

"The German government is preparing to seal off its borders to travellers from the Britain, Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and Brazil," in an attempt to prevent the widespread of new variants already spreading across Germany, German local media reported.