Israel/Palestinian Territories: Two militants dead in Gaza explosion Dec. 12 /update 1

Event

On Tuesday, December 12, two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group were killed by an explosion in the Gaza Strip. Local authorities originally attributed the explosion to the Israeli military, a claim denied by Israeli officials. The incident was later found to be an accident. However, escalating tensions between Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Israel may lead to violence in the coming days, including airstrikes within the Gaza Strip as well as rockets fired into Israel.

Context

On December 6, US President Donald Trump announced that the US officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would begin making preparations to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians; no country has an embassy in Jerusalem. Many world leaders had strongly advised the US administration against the move, claiming it would render impossible the establishment of a Palestinian state and would inflame tensions across the Muslim world. Hamas called for a new intifada ("uprising") against the US decision, adding to fears that the announcement could prompt violence. Widespread protests across Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the world have been observed in recent days; four Palestinians have been killed in incidents of violent unrest.

Tensions are particularly acute in the Gaza Strip, which has been under the control of Hamas, and subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, since June 2007. Humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated over the past decade, including shortages of potable water and regular, widespread power cuts. The coastal enclave is one of the most densely-populated regions of the world, home to over 2 million people.

Advice

Individuals in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to monitor developments to the situation and to avoid all public demonstrations due to the risk of violence. A surge in anti-American and anti-Western sentiment is likely in some areas; all travelers, and Westerners in particular, are advised to maintain a low profile (do not discuss sensitive topics, do not stop to take photographs of demonstrations, etc.) and avoid unnecessary movements in the event of unrest.

More generally, due to the underlying terrorist threat, travelers in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.