The Maldives government has decided to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The president’s office announced that the Cabinet will change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives. A subcommittee will be established to oversee this process.
President Mohamed Muizzu will also appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs and launch a fundraising campaign.
In response, Israel’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, advised Israelis to avoid traveling to the Maldives, even with foreign passports.
He also recommended those currently there consider leaving.
Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited Maldives last year, 0.6% of the total tourist arrivals.
The government considered an enforced ban on Israelis as early as November 2023, local media reported.
Maldives MP Mohamed Nasheed Abdullah, who first proposed the bill, said he introduced it in response to ‘indiscriminate Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.’
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,190 people in Israel, mostly civilians.
Militants also abducted some 250 people, Israelis, and foreigners, 120 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 37 who the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed 36,439 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
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