Is it safe to visit Israel in 2023? New Zealand government issues travel warning

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has officially advised all New Zealanders to stay away from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Certain areas in Gaza and Israel have been assigned a risk level 4 ‘Do not travel’ due to “large-scale ongoing conflict”, stated the update on MFAT’s Safe Travel website.

According to MFAT, these Middle-Eastern destinations have a dangerously high threat of kidnapping, rocket fire, militant activity and violent civil unrest.

This website shows the risk levels of various destinations around the world. Level 3 warns Kiwis to ‘avoid non-essential travel’, while level 4 tells people to not travel for any reason.

The Israel-Hamas war has created a “highly volatile and fluid” security situation, according to the website, and military operations are expected to continue.

“We therefore continue to recommend strongly to those who want to leave Israel, to do so as soon as possible,” MFAT stated. Those who had the option of flying home commercially should take the opportunity immediately, it added, as airlines have been cancelling flights due to the conflict, making it difficult to leave the area.

“You may need to consider taking different routes to your original travel plans,” MFAT advised.

The update, released on October 16, listed specific places considered level 4 risk due to the threat of kidnapping, rocket fire, militant activity and violent civil unrest.

Level 4 destinations include the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza, Sheba’a Farms, Ghajja and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as well as the Israel-Gaza border, Syria border and Lebanon border.

Why are MFAT levels important?

MFAT levels are critical for travellers in three ways: they indicate the risk to expect when visiting, the level of consular assistance you can expect from the New Zealand government while there, and whether travel insurance will cover your trip.

Most travel insurance providers will not cover travel if it goes against Government recommendations.

Similarly, the government cannot promise assistance to Kiwis who decide to visit a level 4-assigned destination and end up needing emergency consular assistance to get home.