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State Department advises caution, avoidance to 3 areas of Middle East

FILE - Israelis wave national flags in front of Damascus Gate outside Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday celebrating the capture of the Old City during the 1967 Mideast war, Sunday, May 29, 2022. The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, called on Palestinians to confront a flag-waving parade planned by Jewish nationalists through the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

(NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of State is urging Americans to exercise extreme caution or outright avoid traveling to several Middle Eastern areas.

The department is advising zero travel to Gaza due to terrorism, civil unrest and armed conflict.


“The U.S. government is unable to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Gaza as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there,” according to the department.

If an American decides to travel to Gaza, the U.S. government recommends being prepared to do it without help from the State Department.

The department is advising those traveling to either Israel or the West Bank to “exercise extreme caution” due to threats of terrorism and civil unrest.

The guidance comes weeks after Israel eased travel for Palestinian Americans from the Gaza Strip as part of final preparations for a deal enabling Israelis to enter the United States without visas.