JERUSALEM, March 5 (Reuters) - More than 20,000 Israelis

have returned to the country since the start of the Iran air war

that began on Saturday, the Transportation Ministry said on

Thursday, adding that about 120,000 more Israelis currently

abroad are seeking to come home.

Israel began to open its airspace on Thursday and allowed a

handful of flights to land at Ben Gurion International Airport

near Tel Aviv.

Israel's airspace was ​closed on Saturday at the start of

the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which have triggered missile

barrages from Iran against Israel, leaving tens of thousands of

passengers stranded abroad.

The ministry said its data show 120,000 Israelis are

currently abroad who wish to return to Israel and that the

operation to repatriate them would likely take seven to 10 days.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority said nearly

300,000 Israelis have flown abroad in the last three months and

airlines have said tens of thousands of customers seek to

return.

It added that it was working to expand options for arriving

in and departing from Israel by air, land and sea crossings.

Most Israelis have so far arrived in Israel via land

crossings into the southern Red Sea resort city of Eilat.

Israeli airlines have been operating repatriation flights

from European cities to Taba, Egypt and Aqaba, Jordan - adjacent

to Eilat.

These flights will continue but Israel's four airlines -

flag carrier El Al, Israir, Arkia and Air

Haifa - have begun flights to Tel Aviv. While airspace is being

gradually opened, only incoming flights are currently allowed,

at a rate of just one landing per hour due to frequent missile

fire from Iran.

"We are doing everything to return every Israeli home

safely," said Transportation Minister Miri Regev, previously a

Brigadier General in the military.

"With the opening of airspace, the return of Israelis to

Israel began, and we continue to work around the clock together

with all parties to expand the options for returning and leaving

the country in accordance with security restrictions," she said.

Earlier, the first planes to arrive at Ben Gurion were

Israir and Arkia flights from Rome, and an El Al flight from

Athens. Flights from other cities in Europe, as well as from the

United States and Asia, are also planned.

Ben Gurion said outgoing flights would resume on Sunday, but

initially would be limited to 50 passengers per flight.

Israel's ​airlines have halted ticket sales between March

​15 and March 21 to allow customers whose flights were cancelled

to be accommodated when the ​airspace opens.