CrossFireArabia
Reports in the Israeli media reveals that there is a significant increase in complaints from Israeli travelers about being assaulted, spat on, verbally abused, refused service, and expelled from hotels and restaurants because of their visible Israeli identity.
The Hebrew news site Ynet reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is today observing a disturbing phenomenon, almost unknown on this scale in previous years, of Israelis abroad seeking assistance after being targeted in anti-Israel incidents.
The report added that between July 2025 and July 2026, 45 Israelis who experienced hostile incidents abroad required assistance and support from the ministry’s Israelis-in-Distress Administration.
Foreign Ministry officials stated that this number was virtually nonexistent in previous years and reflects the changing reality faced by Israelis worldwide since the outbreak of war.
The incidents included assaults, fights, spitting, verbal abuse, refusal to provide service, expulsion from hotels, cafes, and restaurants, and instances where Israelis felt threatened. “Over the past year, we have witnessed a phenomenon on a scale we have never encountered before: Israelis are contacting us after experiencing hostile incidents while abroad,” said Eliyahu Yifrach, Deputy Director General for Consular Affairs at the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The website noted that between January and mid-July 2026, the Foreign Ministry received thousands of calls from Israelis worldwide seeking assistance after being attacked.
A total of 3,611 cases were referred to the Department of Israelis Abroad by the Foreign Ministry’s operations room, compared to 2,500 cases in 2025, all involving Israelis abroad.
Israelis are targeted because of their identity. Yifrach said the 2026 figures reflect both the continued increase in the number of Israelis traveling abroad and the complex security situation since the outbreak of war.
He said that emergency events, including Operation Lion’s Roar (the attack on Iran) and other regional crises, led to a significant increase in the number of requests for assistance the ministry dealt with.
Meanwhile, officials noted an increase in hostility and antagonism directed against Israelis abroad.
“In several countries, there have been reports of Israelis being identified because of their identity or outward Israeli characteristics and targeted with harassment, threats, and even physical assaults,” Yifrach said.
Distress calls from unfamiliar destinations
The Hebrew website noted that since the beginning of the year, the Foreign Ministry has also received distress calls concerning Israelis in countries not typically associated with large numbers of Israeli travelers.
These cases included 56 in Egypt, 45 in Turkey, 41 in Ukraine, 37 in Jordan, 33 in Japan, 13 in Morocco, and 12 in Oman, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
The ministry also dealt with nine cases in the Seychelles, six in Indonesia, four in Malaysia, two in Bahrain, two in Iraq, two in Saudi Arabia, and two in Cuba, noting that Israel has no diplomatic relations with Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, or Oman.
He added that the escalating attacks on Israeli travelers have added a new dimension to the consular workload of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, with officials warning that Israeli travelers are increasingly being targeted not only because of their location but also because of their identity, as reported in Quds Press.
