Germany issues travel warning

The German government has issued a travel warning for Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Lebanon.

Sunday's warning is a big step up from previous longstanding partial travel warnings for the Gaza Strip and some areas of Lebanon.

The German foreign office said in a statement that “due to the escalation of violence in the region in connection with the massive terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, we are warning against travelling to the countries and areas mentioned.” The government also called on all German citizens affected by the warning to register on its crisis precaution list where it provides information on departure options.

In recent days, the German government has helped with the evacuation of more than 2,800 German citizens and their family members from Israel. On Saturday evening, the German army started using military airplanes for evacuations.

More than 100,000 residents of Israel hold dual German and Israeli citizenship. (AP)