European countries declare ‘Alert’ after Israel-Gaza clashes -

Tel Aviv: The European countries have declared an alert with respect to their interests in Israel, after the six-hour conflict between Israel and the Gaza strip. The United Kingdom issued a travel advisory asking tourists to exhibit caution during the Israel visit while it has closed its embassy in the Netherlands.

The diplomats from the European countries based in Israel expressed concerns rockets showered on Israel following the Israeli action against the Islamic Jihad commander. The European Union (EU) opposed to Israel on the international stage over issues concerning Iran and Hezbollah, said that the rocket attacks from Gaza would not be approved in the slightest. Emanuele Giaufret, EU Ambassador to Israel, condemned the attacks saying that ‘Civilian safety is of the highest priority and such kind of rocket attacks can never be justified.’

German Ambassador to Israel Susanne Wasum-Rainer appealed to both the sides saying that ‘The siren alerts in the Israeli cities on Tuesday morning, highlight the gravity of the situation in this region. Both the sides should exhibit restraint in order to avoid the situation getting out of hand, leading to casualties.’

The United Kingdom advised its citizen to avoid travelling to Israel. Also, the British Foreign Office expressed concerns over reports of more than 150 rocket attacks in a day. Furthermore, the situation in Israel was uncertain and can change at any time, the British Foreign Office stated. Therefore, the Office suggested that ‘Terrorists can launch attacks in Israel at any time. Therefore, British citizens should avoid travelling to Israel and the nearby regions’.