Israel urges citizens to vacate Egypt, Jordan amid regional tensions

Israel has issued a notice urging its citizens to immediately depart from Egypt and Jordan. This advisory was released by the National Security Council on Saturday due to heightened regional tensions stemming from the conflict in Gaza.

“Israel’s National Security Council raises its travel warnings for Egypt (including Sinai) and Jordan to level 4 (high threat): recommendation not to travel to these countries and for those staying there to leave… as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.

This development follows Israel’s recent decision to recall its diplomats from Turkey as a precautionary security measure, which was prompted by a prior request for Israeli citizens to leave Turkey.

The evacuation advisories come in the wake of protests that have taken place across the Middle East in response to Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The conflict began when Hamas militants entered Israel from the Gaza Strip, taking more than 200 hostages and resulting in the death of at least 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians. Israeli officials have reported that these casualties were the result of shootings, mutilations, or burnings.

Israel has since declared its commitment to dismantling Hamas, launching a bombing campaign in response, which has led to the destruction of entire city blocks in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has resulted in the reported deaths of 4,137 Palestinians, with the majority being civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.