Egypt Daily News – Israeli media reports revealed that hundreds of Israelis are fleeing Iranian bombardments on Israel to Europe through the Sinai Peninsula, despite travel warnings to Egypt.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s National Security Council had warned Israeli tourists to avoid staying in or traveling to Egypt after the war with Tehran began. Nevertheless, Israelis and tourists have been crossing by land through the Taba border crossing into Sinai and flying out via Sharm El-Sheikh Airport.
The Israeli newspaper added that Israelis are willing to endure a long, exhausting, and even dangerous journey through Sinai, rather than stay in Israel during this period.
One Israeli told the paper: “I flew from Sharm El-Sheikh via Cairo and got stuck there due to delays. I wouldn’t recommend this for Israeli passport holders.”
Yedioth Ahronoth explained that while around 100,000 Israelis stuck abroad are trying to return home, a trend in the opposite direction has quickly emerged. Israelis wishing to leave the country amid these tense times are opting for an indirect route: crossing by land to Egypt’s Taba and then flying from Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport.
The newspaper continued: despite the complex and risky nature of this route which involves crossing borders, long trips, delays, high security risks, and clear instructions to avoid Egypt and Sinai, dozens even hundreds of Israelis are taking this path to escape the war.
Sonia, one of the Israelis who managed to flee to Berlin via what she called the “rescue route” (a reference to Egypt), told Ynet about her journey: “I decided to leave the country because I live in Germany. I’m an Israeli citizen and had come to visit my family and go on a cruise. But the situation escalated and became more dangerous. Through social media, I learned that it was possible to go to Sharm El-Sheikh and fly out from there.”
She added: “I was extremely nervous and scared, but I contacted someone who had taken the route before, and he gave me clear instructions. Then I found another girl on Facebook, and we made the trip together. The taxi driver who took us from the Taba crossing to Sharm El-Sheikh was very reassuring and told us Sinai was completely safe. It was my first time in Sinai, and honestly, I felt much more stressed in Israel.”
When asked about her interaction with Egyptian passport control officers at the airport and hotel staff, Sonia said: “The service was excellent all the way. I had my Israeli passport with me the whole time, and no one cared. The border officers were kind and helpful. I felt safe both at the airport and the hotel. Overall, I really believe it’s in their interest to live in peace too.”
Tal Kogan, another Israeli who crossed the Taba border this week, shared her exhausting journey to Sharm El-Sheikh in a post spotted by the Israeli newspaper. She said she arranged for a driver via a Facebook group, and despite her worries, she felt safe.
“I was very scared before the trip, but somehow, during the journey, the fear disappeared and I felt very safe with the driver,” she said.
According to the paper, Kogan continued her trip to Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, where she had to wait for hours due to a delayed connecting flight to Cairo, and ended up spending the night in the Egyptian capital.
She said: “Unfortunately, because of the delay, I had to stay overnight in Cairo. Even though I had a foreign passport, I don’t recommend Israeli passport holders go to Cairo. I was the only Israeli there and it wasn’t enjoyable at all.”
Speaking to Ynet, Kogan discussed her decision to leave Israel: “I had long been planning a trip to the East, and I decided not to cancel it, especially with the war and continuous missile fire on Tel Aviv. But after the security situation worsened, I abandoned my trip within Israel. All options were on the table, either through Jordan or Egypt. I knew Jordanian airspace was closing on and off, and I didn’t want to take that risk, so I chose Egypt.”
She added: “When I began my journey from Tel Aviv to Eilat, I was very afraid. But somehow, once I crossed into Sinai and started the trip, something calmed me. In hindsight, I was more worried about getting hit by a siren on the way to Eilat than I was about reaching Sharm El-Sheikh.”
Yedioth Ahronoth noted that on social media, Israelis say this route requires some logistical flexibility. The drive from Taba to Sharm El-Sheikh takes about three hours. Some travelers were asked to show a departure ticket from Sharm or a short hotel booking. Waiting times at the border range from 10 to 30 minutes. The most convenient destination from Sharm El-Sheikh is Istanbul.
