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JERUSALEM, April 6 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli aircraft carrying 20 tons of medical equipment from China has landed Monday at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's leading airline El Al said on Monday.

The aircraft, which was loaded in Beijing, is the first of 11 El Al planes to bring essential medical equipment to Israel as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircrafts were temporarily converted to carry cargo.

The aerial operation, led by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and El Al, will bring millions of items of essential medical equipment including masks, protective suits, respirators and more.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel Chemicals company and the Israeli Embassy in Beijing also take part in the operation.

According to El Al and Israel's Ministry of Defense, the operation was launched after two weeks of preparations, which included international procurement, diplomatic effort and logistical preparation.

Israel reported three new death cases from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 52, Shamir medical center in central Israel said Monday.

The Israeli Ministry of Health said Monday the number of the novel coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 8,611.