Is It Safe To Travel To Turkey, Egypt? Warning Issued On Israel-Gaza War

The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning against countries close to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza.

The conflict between the two regions started on Saturday when Palestinian terrorist group Hamas invaded Israel and attacked areas close to the Gaza border before being countered with a series of devastating airstrikes.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that close to 1,000 Israelis have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war. Hamas terrorists still have Israeli people captive. They have threatened to kill one civilian every time Israel targets civilians at their home in Gaza. Meanwhile, authorities confirmed the bodies of 1,500 Hamas terrorists have been found on Israeli territory.

Earlier, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued an advisory against "all but essential travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories".

With the Israeli government declaring a state of emergency across the whole country, holidaymakers with flights and vacations booked in bordering countries are now in a mix if it is safe to go.

The FCDO has claimed that the Hamas terrorists could target places visited by foreigners, while the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories can be fast-moving and unpredictable.

FCDO's advisory on Egypt travel

In their latest update, the FCDO has advised against all travel to parts of Egypt.

The list of areas to be avoided, as per the advice of the UK Foreign Office:

• All travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border
• Governorate of North Sinai
• The northern part of the Governorate of South Sinai, beyond the St. Catherine-Nuweibaa road

The list of areas which the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel:

• The town of El Salloum
• Coastal areas along the west and east of the peninsula of the Governorate of North Sinai
• Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal
• The Hala'ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid

However, travellers can still visit some popular hotspots in Egypt including Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings as the FCDO has not included them in the danger zone.

FCDO's advisory on Turkey travel

The UK Foreign Office has advised against all travel to parts of Turkey including anywhere within 10km of the border with Syria. It has also advised against all but essential travel to Sirnak and the Hakkari province.

What's the latest FCDO advice about travelling to Cyprus?

As of now, the FCDO has not issued a warning to those travelling to Cyprus. However, it does state that "no travel can be guaranteed safe" and travellers should keep up to date when their advice is updated.