Maldives BANS Israelis from entering the country as anger rises over the war in Gaza in the predominantly Muslim nation

The government of the Maldives will ban Israeli citizens from its country as public anger grows in the predominantly Muslim country over the war in Gaza.

The president’s office said the Cabinet had decided to change the laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country and establish a subcommittee to oversee the process.

It said President Mohamed Muizu will appoint a special envoy to assess Palestinian needs and launch a fundraising campaign.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in response that the Foreign Ministry recommends Israelis avoid travel to the Maldives, including those with foreign passports.

He also advised those currently there to consider leaving.

Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives last year, 0.6% of total tourist arrivals.

The president’s office said the cabinet had decided to change the laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country

Large posters appeared on the white sandy beaches of the South Asian country

Public anger in the predominantly Muslim country has increased over the war in Gaza

The government was considering 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 “arbitrary Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.”

In the days and weeks following the October 7 attack, protests emerged across the island, largely in response to Israel’s military campaign against the Gaza Strip.

Angry Maldivians marched through Malé, the capital, just weeks after Israel began its retaliatory campaign against the enclave following Hamas’s brutal attack.

Large posters appeared on the white sandy beaches of the South Asian country.

One read: ‘Ban Israeli passports. The Maldives will prosper without your blood money. Liberate Palestine.’

It also reportedly showed a QR code linking to a site with photos and videos of injured Palestinian children.

The war in the Middle East has raged for almost eight months, with neither side showing much sign of an end.

Angry Maldivians marched through Malé, the capital, just weeks after Israel began its retaliatory campaign against the enclave following Hamas’s brutal attack

The government was considering an enforced ban on Israelis as early as November 2023, local media reported

The Israeli army said this morning it had found the body of an Israeli paramedic, who until now was believed to have been held hostage in Gaza but was killed in the October 7 attack.

The body of 35-year-old Dolev Yehud was located in Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was attacked during the bloody attack on southern Israeli communities by Hamas militants on October 7.

“During the brutal terrorist attacks of October 7, Dolev left his home in an attempt to save lives,” the military said in a statement.

“Dolev was killed by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7 and his body was found in Kibbutz Nir Oz,” the military said, without specifying when exactly his remains were found.

Until now, it was believed that Yehud was being held hostage by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. His sister Arbel Yehud is being held captive.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,190 people in Israel, mostly civilians.

Militants have also kidnapped about 250 people, Israelis and foreigners, 120 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 37 who the army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory bombings and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip have killed 36,439 people, mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-administered territory.