What are global firms with presence in Israel doing after Hamas attack -October 09, 2023 at 05:58 pm EDT

Oct 9 (Reuters) – Global companies have temporarily shut
some operations in Israel and have asked employees to work from
home following a devastating weekend attack by Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas.

Following are the steps taken by the companies ranging from
airlines to banks:

TRAVEL

Several Asian, European and U.S. airlines have suspended
direct flights to Tel Aviv.

Delta Air Lines:

The airline said it continues to monitor events in the
region and has made the decision to cancel Delta-operated Tel
Aviv flights through Oct. 31.

El Al:

The airline said it would run more flights to take
reservists back to Israel to help in the largest mobilisation in
the country’s history.

Royal Caribbean:

The cruise operator said it is adjusting several itineraries
in the area and that impacted guests are being notified
directly.

Carnival:

The cruise liner said it has adjusted its cruise itineraries
and is not making calls to Israel at this time.

OIL MAJORS

Chevron:

The No. 2 U.S. oil and gas producer has been instructed by
Israel’s energy ministry to shut down the Tamar natural gas
field off the country’s northern coast, a company spokesperson
said on Monday.

BANKS

JPMorgan Chase:

The Wall Street bank has asked more than 200 employees in
Israel to work from home, a source familiar with the matter told
Reuters.

Goldman Sachs:

The bank’s employees at its office in Tel Aviv have been
asked to work from home, a spokesperson said.

Bank of America:

The Tel Aviv office will remain closed for the time being,
and the bank will continue to closely monitor the local
situation in the upcoming days, according to an internal memo,
seen by Reuters.

Morgan Stanley:

Bloomberg News reported that the bank has an office in
Israel and has also told its staff to work from home for the
foreseeable future.

LOGISTICS

Adani Ports:

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Ports, operator of
the Haifa Port in northern Israel, said the port was operational
but added it was closely monitoring the situation and is
prepared with a business continuity plan.

FedEx:

The global delivery firm has suspended its service in the
country.

TECH

Nvidia:

The world’s largest maker of chips used for artificial
intelligence and computer graphics said it had canceled an AI
summit scheduled for Tel Aviv next week. CEO Jensen Huang was
scheduled to speak at the conference.

CONSUMER AND RETAIL

H&M:

The clothing company said its local franchise partner has
temporarily closed all stores in Israel.

Inditex SA:

“Our stores will remain temporarily closed and return
timeframes will be extended by 30 days from their reopening,” a
message on Zara-owner Inditex’s website in Israel showed.

The world’s biggest fashion retailer has 84 stores in
Israel, all operated under franchise.

PHARMA

Eli Lilly and Co:

The pharamaceutical company said it is closely monitoring
the evolving situation in Israel and will take all necessary
steps to ensure safety of colleagues in and near the affected
areas.

It is also working to ensure all critical operations remain
in place to provide an uninterrupted supply of Lilly medicines
to patients in the region.
(Reporting by Priyamvada C, Mehr Bedi, Ananya Mariam Rajesh,
Khushi Mandowara, Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat, Samrhitha Arunasalam
in Bengaluru and Helen Reid in London; Editing by Sriraj
Kalluvila, Shounak Dasgupta and Shinjini Ganguli)