The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7 against Israel
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The Indian Ocean nation of Maldives will ban Israelis from the luxury tourist hotspot, the president’s office said on Sunday, announcing a nationwide rally in “solidarity with Palestine.”
The Maldives, a small Islamic republic with more than 1,000 strategically located coral islets, is known for its secluded white-sand beaches, shallow turquoise lagoons, and Robinson Crusoe-style hideaways.
President Mohamed Muizzu “has decided to impose a ban on Israeli passports,” a spokesperson for his office said in a statement, without giving details on when the new law will come into force.
Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called “Maldives in Solidarity with Palestine”.
The Maldives lifted a previous ban on Israeli tourists in the early 1990s and moved to restore relations in 2010.
However, attempts at normalization were thwarted following the overthrow of President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.
Opposition parties and government allies in the Maldives have been pressuring Muizzu to ban Israelis as a sign of protest against the war in Gaza.
Official data showed that the number of Israelis visiting the Maldives fell to 528 in the first four months of this year, an 88 percent drop compared to the corresponding period last year.
In response to the ban, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged citizens to avoid traveling to the Maldives.
“For Israeli citizens who remain in the country, it is recommended that they consider leaving, as if they become in danger for any reason, it will be difficult for us to help,” the spokesperson added.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.
Hamas also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive killed at least 36,439 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-administered territory.
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