Israel Urges Immediate Departure of Israelis From Turkey

With Israel engaged in conflict with Hamas and increasing threats of Arab terrorism worldwide, the Israel National Security Council (NSC) has issued fresh travel advisories, particularly targeting Arab countries. Turkey has been singled out as the highest threat, with the travel warning elevated to level 4, the most critical level.

The NSC has strongly urged all Israelis in Turkey to leave the country immediately. For those who remain in Turkey, the advisory recommends avoiding public gatherings, refraining from overt displays of Jewish or Israeli identity, and steering clear of local sites associated with Jewish or Israeli connections.

In Istanbul, Turkish citizens took to the streets in protest following reports of a catastrophic explosion at a Gaza hospital, which was initially misattributed to an Israeli airstrike. However, the IDF released intercepted Hamas communications confirming that the incident resulted from a misfired rocket by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. While the Gaza Health Ministry, linked to Hamas, claimed that “hundreds of people” were killed, this number remains unverified.

Further demonstrations in Turkey are anticipated, and as a result, the NSC has raised its travel warning for Morocco to level 2, recommending increased vigilance for Israelis in the country.

Additionally, the NSC advised against non-essential travel to Arab countries in general, with specific emphasis on countries bordering Iran, such as Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Azerbaijan.

Jordanians have held protests against the Gaza war, with hundreds attempting to storm the Israeli embassy in Amman.

Israelis are prohibited from traveling to five enemy countries — Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran —even if they possess alternative citizenship and intend to use a different passport to enter those nations.

Overnight, Turks marched with Palestinian flags and chanted slogans denouncing Israel in at least a dozen Turkish cities, including outside the Israeli Embassy in the capital Ankara.

Police used pepper spray and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters who tried to enter the compound of Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. Five people were detained, the Istanbul governor’s office said.

On Wednesday, there was a large security presence around the consulate, with hundreds of police officers and around 10 water cannon vehicles deployed behind a line of metal barriers. Police conducted identity checks on those seeking to pass through.

Political analysts said the Gaza hospital blast could have dire consequences for ties between Israel and Turkey.

“Ankara is now likely to assume a much harder anti-Israel stance, especially as the Israel Defense Force’s incursion into Gaza is expected to intensify in the days ahead, with inevitable humanitarian costs,” said Wolfango Piccoli at Teneo.

“Erdogan may even decide to abandon the rapprochement with Israel, which was initiated in 2022 after more than 10 years of fraught ties between the two countries (…) A deterioration in relations between Turkey and Israel would also likely impact Turkey-U.S. ties, creating further stress between the two NATO allies at a volatile time.”