Ongoing military activities, armed conflict, border and airport disruption, and volatile conditions in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Israel-wide routes.

As of 2026-05-15, official travel advice for Israel is in avoid-all-travel territory across most governments in this review, with the newest checked notices from Germany and Canada updated on 2026-05-14.

What Is Being Advised

Avoid all travel to Israel unless your own government gives a narrower instruction that clearly applies to your passport, location, and route. If you are already in Israel, follow embassy instructions, monitor local alerts, avoid security and military facilities, avoid US-linked organizations and facilities, and move toward an airport or land border only if the route is safe and commercial options are operating.

Postpone planned trips. The advisories cite military activity, armed conflict, regional escalation, terrorism risks, border restrictions, airport disruption, limited air operations, cancellations, and the possibility that the security situation could deteriorate without notice.

Do not treat a land exit as guaranteed. Spain notes possible departure by land through Egypt or Jordan when safe, and Italy's 2026-05-06 update concerns border restrictions and airport disruption. Check airport, border, and local movement status the same day you intend to move.

Where exactly this applies

Official scope varies by government notice:

Several advisories apply to Israel as a whole.
Canada applies avoid-all-travel advice to Israel, Jerusalem, and Palestine, with specific concern for Gaza Strip infrastructure damage and the volatile security situation in the West Bank.
Germany warns against travel to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and northern Israel north of road 85 and its extension, and also flags northern Sinai transit risks.
New Zealand includes Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, with additional level-4 advice for areas of Israel affected by military activity and heightened security risks.
Italy gives a softer country-level position on non-essential travel, and separately marks the southern district, northern district, Majdal Shams, desert areas bordering Sinai, and Israel generally for above-baseline security or terrorism caution.

Organizations issuing warnings

Auswartiges Amt, Germany
Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom
Global Affairs Canada
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion, Spain
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Italy
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

Why The Advice Is So Severe

The shared concern is active security risk. Canada cites ongoing military activities, dire humanitarian conditions, volatile security conditions, and extensive damage to infrastructure in Gaza. The UK says the situation could escalate quickly and poses significant risks. New Zealand points to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and the risk from military strikes and armed conflict.

Transport disruption is part of the advice. Spain notes limited air operations, many cancellations, and possible departure by land through Egypt or Jordan when safe. Italy's 2026-05-06 update also points to border restrictions and airport disruption. Those notices support close-in transport checks. They do not support assuming that flying, driving, or crossing by land is the better move on any given day.

The UK adds a movement-level warning for people already in Israel: stay away from areas around security or military facilities, plus US-linked organizations, businesses, facilities, and institutions. That warning affects daily routing for travelers already in Israel.

Source Differences

Most governments here use avoid-all-travel or equivalent language for Israel or major parts of the Israel-Palestine advisory area. Australia lists Israel as "Do not travel" in its destination index. Ireland advises against all travel to Israel. The UK advises against all travel to Israel and Palestine. Spain completely discourages travel to Israel. Switzerland advises against travel to Israel. New Zealand says not to travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Italy is the main softer outlier. Its 2026-05-06 update says to avoid non-essential travel, postpone travel, or reassess planned trips; its 2026-01-13 security notes mark several Israeli areas for heightened caution. Italian passport holders should read the latest Viaggiare Sicuri page directly before acting, because the Italian wording is narrower than the avoid-all-travel language used by several other governments.

Japan's 2026-02-28 notice includes level 3 language telling travelers not to travel and level 4 language telling travelers to evacuate and not travel for listed areas. If you are using Japan's advice, check which level applies to your exact location.

If You Are Already There

Register with your embassy or equivalent foreign ministry service if your government offers it. The UK specifically tells travelers in Israel to register their presence for further updates.

Canada gives the clearest movement rule: shelter in place when local instructions or nearby activity make movement unsafe; leave only if you assess that travel to the airport or a land border is safe and commercial options remain available.

Source Notes

The most recent updates in this review are Germany and Canada on 2026-05-14, Italy on 2026-05-06, Australia on 2026-04-28, the UK on 2026-04-14, Spain on 2026-04-01, Switzerland on 2026-03-08, New Zealand on 2026-03-01, and Japan and Ireland on 2026-02-28. The official notices were checked on 2026-05-14.

Use your own government's live advisory before booking, crossing a border, or moving to an airport. These notices can change faster than an itinerary.

Official source notes

Official source notes used for this article. Native government labels are preserved when available.

Auswartiges Amt (de) (avoid all travel; native label: Teilreisewarnung; updated 2026-05-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: Teilreisewarnung. Germany warns against travel to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and northern Israel north of road 85 and its extension. German nationals in Gaza or the West Bank are advised to leave if possible, and the page also warns about northern Sinai transit risks.
Global Affairs Canada (ca) (avoid all travel; native label: Avoid all travel; updated 2026-05-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel and Palestine - Avoid all travel. Avoid all travel to Palestine due to the ongoing military activities, the dire humanitarian conditions, the volatile and unpredictable security situation, and extensive damage to infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, and the volatile security situation in the West Bank.
Global Affairs Canada (ca) (avoid all travel; native label: Avoid all travel; updated 2026-05-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel and Palestine - Avoid all travel. Avoid all travel to Jerusalem due to the ongoing military activities.
Global Affairs Canada (ca) (avoid all travel; native label: Avoid all travel; updated 2026-05-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel and Palestine - Avoid all travel. Avoid all travel to Israel due to the ongoing military activities. The security situation could deteriorate further without notice. Shelter in place. However, if you assess that travel to the airport or to a land border crossing is safe, you should leave the country at the earliest opportunity while commercial options remain available.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (au) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2026-04-28; checked 2026-05-14): Smartraveller advisory for Israel: Do not travel. Australia Smartraveller lists Israel at "Do not travel" on its current destinations index. The destination entry was updated on 2026-04-28.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (avoid all travel; native label: FCDO advises against all travel; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: FCDO advises against all travel. FCDO advises against all travel to Israel and Palestine. Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel. If you are in Israel and Palestine We have taken the precautionary measure temporarily to withdraw dependants of UK staff from Tel Aviv. Our Embassy continues to operate as normal. The situation could escalate quickly and poses significant risks.
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion (es) (avoid all travel; native label: ANTE EL CONTEXTO DE CONFLICTO REGIONAL, SE DESACONSEJA COMPLETAMENTE VIAJAR A ISRAEL.; updated 2026-04-01; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: travel completely discouraged. Spain completely discourages travel to Israel due to the regional conflict context. The advice notes limited air operations, many cancellations, and possible departure by land through Egypt or Jordan when safe.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (ch) (avoid all travel; native label: general — Von Reisen nach Israel wird abgeraten; updated 2026-03-08; checked 2026-05-14): FDFA travel advice for Israel. The FDFA advises against travel to Israel. The current FDFA update note was published on 2026-03-08.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (nz) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2026-03-01; checked 2026-05-14): Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Do not travel. Do not travel to Israel, due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and the current risk posed by military strikes and armed conflict (Level 4 of 4). Do not travel to the following areas of Israel due to military activity and heightened security risks (level 4 of 4):.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（引き上げ）; updated 2026-02-28; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（引き上げ）. Japan MOFA keeps Israel in the listed area at レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（引き上げ）; travelers should not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（継続）; updated 2026-02-28; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（継続）. Japan MOFA keeps Israel in the listed area at レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）（継続）; travelers should not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; updated 2026-02-28; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）. Japan MOFA keeps Israel in the listed area at レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; travelers should evacuate and not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; updated 2026-02-28; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）. Japan MOFA keeps Israel in the listed area at レベル４：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; travelers should evacuate and not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
Department of Foreign Affairs (ie) (avoid all travel; native label: Do Not Travel; updated 2026-02-28; checked 2026-05-14): Ireland DFA: Do not travel - Israel. Ireland DFA currently rates Israel as Do Not Travel. Ireland DFA advises Irish citizens against all travel to Israel.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: ultimaora - ISRAELE E TERRITORI PALESTINESI: SITUAZIONE DI SICUREZZA.; updated 2026-05-06; checked 2026-05-14): ISRAELE E TERRITORI PALESTINESI: SITUAZIONE DI SICUREZZA.. Official Viaggiare Sicuri current update for Israele: transport or border disruption. It concerns border restrictions and airport disruption. The official advice is to avoid non-essential travel, postpone travel, or reassess planned trips.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (heightened caution; native label: FCDO travel warning; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: Register your presence. Register your presence Let the UK government know you’re in Israel, register your presence if you’re in Israel for further updates.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (heightened caution; native label: Current FCDO warning; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): Israel: Regional escalation. Regional escalation Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption. The Iranian regime has publicly stated its intention to target locations associated with the United States and Israel. This includes US-linked organisations, businesses, facilities and institutions. Stay away from areas around security or military facilities, and US-linked locations.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-13; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Distretto meridionale del Paese in Israele for above-baseline travel caution due to security risks. Travelers are told to avoid the affected area or activity and follow local instructions.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-13; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Israele for above-baseline travel caution due to terrorism. Travelers are advised to use heightened caution and follow local authority instructions.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-13; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Aree desertiche confinanti con Sinai in Israele for above-baseline travel caution due to terrorism and crime. Travelers are advised to use heightened caution and follow local authority instructions.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-13; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Distretto settentrionale in Israele for above-baseline travel caution due to security risks. Travelers are told to avoid the affected area or activity and follow local instructions.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-13; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Majdal Shams in Israele for above-baseline travel caution due to security risks. Travelers are told to avoid the affected area or activity and follow local instructions.