(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A number of hotels in Israel, along with flagship carrier El Al (ELAL.TA), have already seen some cancellations and believe the number will grow if the violence rages into a second week, Reuters reported.
"The continued firing on the South ... is expected to exact a heavy price on the tourism industry which is one of the central anchors in the region," said Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov on Sunday.
It was still too soon to assess just how badly the tourism industry will be hurt, said the ministry.
Jerusalem's American Colony hotel reported that some clients had pulled out of visits at the last minute.
Over 90 Palestinians have been killed and more than 700 others injured in the new wave of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since Wednesday.
Israel triggered the new round of its assaults against Gazans by assassinating the military chief of the ruling Hamas group on Wednesday followed by dozens of airstrikes on Gaza.
In response, the Palestinian groups have fired more than 1,100 missiles and rockets at Israel. Several Israelis have been killed and about 100 others wounded since Israel initiated the attacks.
Palestinian resistance groups targeted a settlement near Jerusalem for the first time Friday, launching a rocket attack in a major escalation of hostilities as Israel pressed forward with relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Israel called up thousands of reservists and massed troops along the border with Gaza, signaling a ground invasion of the densely populated seaside strip could be imminent. The attack on the Israeli settlement, along with an earlier strike on Zionists' capital Tel Aviv, has frightened the Israeli regime.
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