Ukrainians are asked to refrain from travelling to Israel: what are the real threats?
8 August 2024 21:20
EXCLUSIVE
Ukrainian Embassy advises Ukrainians not to plan trips to Israel. "Komersant Ukrainian" together with political scientist Ruslan Bortnik, looked into the real threats to our citizens when visiting this country.
On 8 August, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, warned of the dangers of flying to Israel during a briefing.
“It is undesirable to plan a trip to Israel now, not only because of security issues, but also because of the complexity of the situation, as most foreign airlines have refused to fly,” the diplomat said.
How many Ukrainians are in Israel
It should be noted that there are currently up to 13,000 Ukrainian refugees in Israel. This figure was announced by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk during a briefing.
“From the beginning of the war (between Russia and Ukraine – ed.) until Hamas invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip, the number of our citizens seeking temporary asylum reached 20-25 thousand. Now we can talk about about 12-13 thousand people who have remained,” Korniychuk said.
He added that even at the beginning and even before the terrorist attack in Israel, citizens understood that Israel did not grant full refugee status, housing or other financial support. The diplomat also said that there have been no requests for evacuation from Israel from Ukrainian citizens.
What experts say
Political analyst Ruslan Bortnik, interviewed by 
, believes that Israel may become the target of attacks today, including terrorist attacks and air attacks by Lebanon, Iran and other adversaries in the region. And Ukrainians may become victims of these military attacks: both internal terrorist attacks and external attacks, including air attacks.
“Secondly, we remember that the history of relations between our countries remains complicated, and Israel is very careful about Ukrainians entering the country, checking them. Many people have difficulties at the border,” the expert said.
But the main thing, according to Bortnik, is the security problem. After all, Israel can become the target of a massive attack from Lebanon, Gaza, or Iran at any time.
Where in Israel should Ukrainians go in case of danger
The following embassies continue to operate in Israel the embassy of Of Ukraine continues to operate in Israel. It is open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 18:00.
Address: 50 Irmiyahu St., Tel Aviv
Phone: 972-3-627-33-00
There is also an operational line that should be called only in case of danger to the life or death of Ukrainian citizens. The number is: (972) 54 667 67 82
Recommendations for Ukrainian citizens staying in Israel
The Embassy recommends Ukrainians in Israel to
- avoid crowded places;
- not to participate in demonstrations;
- strictly observe security measures and rules of stay of foreigners in the country;
- comply with the lawful requests of law enforcement agencies;
- follow the reports of local authorities on the development of the situation;
- always carry identification documents.
During their stay in Israel, Ukrainian citizens are also advised to refrain from travelling to the territories
- bordering the Lebanese and Syrian borders;
- bordering the Gaza Strip;
- The West Bank of the Jordan River.
