National Security Council issues travel warnings to Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt ahead of Passover

Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt are destinations that “should be avoided at the current time,” an Israeli official says as Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issues travel warnings to four countries with which Israel has diplomatic ties.

The warning for Egypt includes the Sinai peninsula, a popular holiday destination for Israelis traveling over Passover.

The official says Israel is not considering closing the crossing into Egypt, but will do so in the case of a specific threat.

The official has also warned Israelis traveling to Sweden in May for the Eurovision 2024 song contest to make efforts to conceal their identities.

According to the travel warnings, there are growing attempts during the Gaza war by global jihadist organizations to inspire lone attackers to target Jews and Israelis. The primary threats, says the NSC warning, is Iran and its proxies.

Jewish communities in Europe and North America “are also a major target” for the extreme right, “with religious and community institutions being a preferred target on holidays and festivals,” the NSC says in the announcement today.

The “potential for terrorist threats against Israelis and Jews more than five months after the start of the war is extremely high,” it adds.

Dozens of such terror attempts to target Israelis and Jews have been foiled around the world in recent years, says the NSC.

“What has been published is just the tip of the iceberg,” explains the official, referring to recent intercepted plots to kill Israelis in Cyprus, Greek and Turkey.

Hamas is also trying to target Israelis and Jews abroad during the war, according to the NSC warnings. In December 2023, a Hamas terror network in northern Europe was uncovered.