Gaza war: Israel issues advisory against travel to 80 countries with rising terror threats

The National Security Council (NSC) has elevated the threat level for Israelis in 80 countries due to the Gaza war, according to a Jerusalem Post report, citing a newly released list. The National Security Council notes heightened risks from Iran, its proxies like Hamas, and global jihad elements targeting Israeli and Jewish interests worldwide. “This coincides with a continuous and significant increase in incitement, attempted attacks, and widespread manifestations of anti-Semitism in many countries,” the report quoted NSC as saying. According to the report, an NSC official has advised Israelis to carefully consider their travel destinations, acknowledging an unprecedented potential for violence from terrorist attempts and increased anti-Semitism. A senior National Security Council official told Jewish Insider that “many terrorist attacks” on Jewish and Israeli targets around the world “were prevented from the start of the war.” While the official would not state a number, he said, “We never saw such a rise across the board…There were individual incidents in Western Europe, but not in recent years nor in such quantities.” “There is an awakening among global jihadist groups, like Al Qaeda and ISIS,” the senior official warned. Several Western countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and Russia,  were moved from the council’s Level 1 category, which is “basic precautionary measures” to Level 2, which is “increased precautionary measures.” Some countries, like South Africa, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, were raised to Level 3, suggesting essential travel only. The NSC has recommended postponing travel to regions with high warning levels, including the Middle East, North Caucasus, countries surrounding Iran, and certain Muslim countries in Asia. Travelers are advised to steer clear of demonstrations, protests, and check for anti-Israeli or anti-Jewish activity in their destination, as per the advisory. Once abroad, individuals should avoid displaying Israeli and Jewish symbols, large gatherings of officials, and keep embassy/consulate contact details and emergency services information readily available. With inputs from agencies