Flights from Israel's Ben Gurion airport have been disrupted due to contaminated jet fuel.

According to airport manager Shmuel Kandel, a decision to ground all departing flights was made after fuel was found to be tainted. The source of the problem is as yet unclear.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball squad, on their way to a European championship match in Barcelona tomorrow, were among the thousands of travellers left stranded due to the cancellations.

Ben Gurion officials did not given a time when flights would resume and asked incoming flights to come with sufficient fuel for their return journey.