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December 28, 2008
This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rocket strikes into Israel. Due to the ongoing conflict and reported fatalities, U.S. State Department employees are restricted from approaching the Gaza Strip. The escalation of hostilities within the Gaza Strip has resulted in a strong possibility of large public demonstrations and potential for disruption of traffic throughout Egypt.
Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas where demonstrations are more likely to occur, to include government office buildings and large public gathering areas, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large public gatherings. Large demonstrations have already occurred in Alexandria and Cairo; however, they may occur in any part of Egypt. American citizens should exercise caution, stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times.
In addition, the Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip. The ongoing conflict and violence has the potential to spread rapidly and unpredictably in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. The State Department strongly recommends that American citizens refrain from all travel to the Gaza strip and that those already in Gaza depart immediately. This recommendation has been in effect since the deadly roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza in October 2003. It applies to all Americans, including journalists and aid workers. No U.S. government official travel is permitted inside the Gaza Strip at this time.
The situation in Northern Sinai is also unsettled. The Embassy is currently restricting non-official travel of U.S. government personnel to Rafah and Al Areesh, and recommends private U.S. citizens avoid all travel to those areas.
Americans traveling in this district should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy in Cairo’s website
(http://egypt.usembassy.gov) and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website (http://travel.state.gov), where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, including the Travel Warning for Israel, West Bank and Gaza, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information can be found.
For further information, U.S. citizens may call the Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit at 2797-2301 during business hours, Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For emergencies after business hours and on weekends and holidays, U.S. citizens can contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 2797-3300. The Embassy is located at 5 Tawfik Diab Street (formerly known as Latin America Street), Garden City, Cairo.
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