Travel at Ben Gurion Airport came to a complete stop Tel Aviv due to a worker’s strike on Thursday, according to Israeli media reports.The airport closed at 2 p.m. after employees stopped working, closing check-in counters and later bringing arrivals to a halt. This came during the airports busiest period of the year as Israeli summer vacation reaches it’s peak.Footage on social media shows long lines and crowds as travelers were left stranded.Reports said that airport employees were carrying out a work-to-rule strike although no details have yet been released regarding any dispute that may have led to the strike action.A work-to-rule strike is a form of industrial action where employees do exactly what their rules, contracts, and procedures require and nothing more.Whether the airport shutdown is a result of strike action, or simply weak administration remains unconfirmed.The Transportation Workers Union in the Histadrut denied calling for strike action, saying in a statement: “We did not issue any directive to cease work. The attempt to present the chaos at Ben Gurion as the result of a ‘surprise strike’ is misleading and directs attention away from the real failure: A severe and ongoing shortage of manpower, and a lack of adequate preparation for summer congestion.”US military aircraft are also parked at Ben Gurion for refueling, taking up parking positions and complicating ground movements, baggage handling and passenger transport around the airport.Transportation Ministry officials are investigating the incident and have said “If the investigation shows that this was indeed a work-to-rule action, we will act very harshly against those responsible. Heads will roll,” according to Israel National News.This disruption comes amidst a rebound of air travel to Israel following the October 2025 ceasefire. Although, foreign tourism remains almost 59 percent below 2023 levels as the security situation and damaged perceptions globally over Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank discourage would-be visitors.