Israel

Is Israel safe to visit?

It depends on where you go and when. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Eilat are open to visitors, hospitals are excellent and roads are safer than in most of the region. The risk is conflict. In 2026 Israel was hit by Iranian ballistic missiles, fought Hezbollah again in Lebanon, and has seen repeated terrorist attacks. The 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary ranks Israel 159th of 163 countries.

The US State Department rates Israel Level 3 (reconsider travel) and Level 4 (do not travel) for the areas near Gaza, the Lebanese border and the Egyptian border. We score Israel 60, with medium confidence because the situation changes quickly. This score covers Israel only; the West Bank and Gaza have their own advisories, summarised below.

Missiles, sirens and the 2026 war

After the US and Israel struck Iran on 28 February 2026, Iran fired waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, and Israel says many carried cluster munitions. Israeli authorities told the BBC that 60 people had been killed in Israel by 18 June, most by Iranian attacks and fighting with Hezbollah: 29 civilians, 21 of them in Iranian missile strikes, and 31 soldiers. Hezbollah resumed rocket fire on 2 March; a ceasefire was agreed on 16 April, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns hostilities could restart with little warning.

The US and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding on 17 June, but it did not end the regional war. The FCDO's update of 22 July says that since 8 July Iran has carried out strikes and retaliatory attacks in a number of places across the region against US military and civilian infrastructure, and warns of more attacks and escalation. The FCDO names Qatar among the places hit, two missiles came down in and near UAE waters in August, and the US and Iran exchanged strikes again on 30 to 31 August (see our Iran page). The FCDO does not report Iranian strikes on Israel in this phase.

The UK lifted its advice against all travel to Israel on 3 June 2026. It says missile and drone attacks have become less frequent, but that rockets, drones and interception debris remain a risk anywhere in the country and Ben Gurion airport can be disrupted. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary, reissued on 26 August, lets family members of US staff return.

What this means in practice: install the Home Front Command alert app, check where the protected room (mamad) is in your hotel, and follow instructions at once when a siren sounds.

Terrorism and the no-go areas

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks, naming the Old City of Jerusalem, public transport, security forces and crowded places. Recent attacks it lists include a shooting in northern Jerusalem that killed six people in September 2025, three bombs on empty buses in the Tel Aviv area in February 2025, and an attack in Jaffa that killed seven in 2024. It advises extra care on buses and at transport hubs.

Areas the US says not to visit:

• The far north near the Lebanese border and the Golan Heights (north of Routes 85, 90 and 87).
• Within 11.3 km (7 miles) of the Gaza Strip.
• Within 2.4 km of the Egyptian border, except the Taba crossing.

The UK's zones are narrower: all travel within 500 m of the Gaza border, areas north of Route 89 and Route 91 in the north and Golan Heights, and within 500 m of the Syrian line.

The West Bank and Gaza

The US rates the West Bank Level 3 and says terrorist attacks, violence and Israeli military operations increased over the past year, with some US citizens injured or killed. Its staff may visit only Bethlehem and Jericho, from dawn to midnight, and use Routes 1, 90 and 443. The UK advises against all travel to Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas governorates and against all but essential travel to the rest, except East Jerusalem, Bethlehem governorate, Ramallah municipality, Jericho and the area south of it.

Gaza is Level 4 (do not travel) for the US and an all-travel no-go area for the UK. A ceasefire has been in place since October 2025, but Al Jazeera's one-year review reported Israeli attacks on nine days out of ten, and the US warns that crossings can close and leave people stuck indefinitely.

Crime, roads and everyday risks

Crime rarely affects visitors. Homicides rose to about 3 per 100,000 in 2025, driven mostly by organised-crime violence and feuds, which rarely touch visitors. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's main crime warning for tourists is theft of passports, cards and valuables on beaches.

Roads are a bigger everyday risk than crime. The National Road Safety Authority counted 443 deaths by mid-December 2025, the worst year since 2005, including 118 pedestrians and 95 motorcyclists. Avoid driving into ultra-Orthodox areas of Jerusalem on Shabbat, when cars can be stoned, the FCDO says.

How to stay safe in Israel

• Check the US and UK advice the week you travel, and buy insurance that covers conflict-related cancellation.
• Download the Home Front Command alert app and learn the shelter routine on day one.
• Stay out of the border zones above; the Golan, Gaza border and Lebanese border are where the advisories differ most.
• Keep valuables off the beach and carry a copy of your passport.
• Call 100 for police and 101 for an ambulance.

Jordan and Egypt share borders with Israel; crossings can close at short notice.

How we scored it

Conflict (25) is the weakest factor and reflects the 2026 missile war, the Iranian strikes across the region since July, terrorism and the Level 4 border areas. Health (85), road safety (82) and violent crime (80) are all reasonable and would put the weighted average at 70. The overall score is capped at 60 (conflict + 35): when conflict is this severe, good roads, health care or low crime cannot lift a country above that. A lasting end to the fighting would lift the score sharply.