Israel Travel Warning: Unexploded Weapons Pose Risk Beyond Cities

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem warned travellers on 13 October 2026 that unexploded ordnance and other explosive weapons still pose a risk throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, with the greatest danger near borders. The embassy stressed that these items are often unmarked or hard to identify, so anyone moving outside urban areas should stay alert.

Key facts

• Where: throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, especially in the vicinity of borders
• Risk: unexploded ordnance — artillery shells, mortar rounds, rockets, grenades, cluster submunitions, landmines, fuses and metal cylinders
• Report to: Israeli National Police emergency number, 100
• Issued by: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, 13 October 2026
• Practical rule: assume all unidentified objects are dangerous

Why is the risk hard to spot?

Unexploded items come in many shapes and sizes and may be rusted, partly buried or otherwise difficult to recognise, the embassy said. Small round cluster submunitions — which it described as bomblets that may look like balls or toys — are among the examples it listed.

Weather and land use can make the problem worse. Rain, flooding, farming and construction often bring buried ordnance back to the surface, where it becomes more unstable. The embassy's guidance is blunt: treat every unidentified object as dangerous.

What should you do if you see a suspicious object?

The embassy told travellers to follow the "3 Rs" — Recognize, Retreat, Report. Stop moving when you spot something suspicious and do not go closer for a better look. Move away carefully along the same route you came in, keeping other people, especially children, clear of the area. Once at a safe distance, call the Israeli National Police emergency number on 100.

Do not approach or touch suspected ordnance, and do not throw objects at it to mark it or try to set it off. Keep radios and mobile phones away from the item — move well away first. The embassy also warned against collecting, buying or keeping ordnance, shell casings or so-called war souvenirs, even when they are described as inert or deactivated.

What should travellers do differently?

The embassy advised travellers not to enter areas marked with unexploded ordnance or landmine warning signs, and to stay on paved roads and well-used paths when outside urban areas. It also urged adults to warn children never to touch strange metal objects and to tell an adult straight away if they find one.

Staying informed and getting help

The alert recommends learning the location of the nearest bomb shelter or other hardened shelter, and downloading the Home Front Command Red Alert application or similar mobile apps — available on devices within Israel — for real-time alerts on rocket and missile attacks and armed UAV intrusions. U.S. citizens were also urged to enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and to keep checking the State Department's current Travel Advisory for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

For assistance, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem can be reached on +972-2-630-4000 or [email protected], and the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv on +972-3-519-7575 or [email protected]. The State Department's Consular Affairs line is 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444.

The embassy gave no end date for the warning, so travellers should continue to treat unidentified objects as dangerous and follow local safety guidance throughout their trip.