Maldives Bans Israeli Travelers Over 'Continuing Atrocities' In Gaza

The Maldives ratified a change this week to its immigration laws to prohibit travelers from entering the country under Israeli passports, in response to Israel's conduct in Gaza.

"The Government of Maldives reaffirms its resolute solidarity with the Palestinian cause and its enduring commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of the Palestinian people,” the Office of President Mohamed Muizzu said in a statement on Tuesday.

Israel did not issue a high-level public response.

The proposal, first raised in June, prompted a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry to recommend that Israelis leave the Maldives and avoid traveling there in the future.

Israeli officials did not appear to respond to the news of the law's ratification on Tuesday.

• Israel says no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza

Israeli citizens with a second passport will still be able to enter the country, according to Maldives immigration, the Associated Press reported.

The Maldives, a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, is a popular tourist destination in Asia. The archipelago has seen over 700,000 tourists in 2025 so far, according to Ministry of Tourism and Environment data. Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the islands in 2024.

The Maldives is a Muslim-majority nation, and the country's constitution restricts other religious practices.

Other countries in South Asia, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, have also banned Israeli passport holders from entering, as have some countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. But the Maldives appears to be the first to adopt such a measure in response to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Bangladesh over the weekend restored explicit language on its passports forbidding travel to Israel, according to media reports, although its policy hasn't changed: It is among a handful of countries that have never recognized the state of Israel.

The Maldives recognized Israel in the '60s, but has sporadically suspended diplomatic relations and has not maintained full diplomatic relations in recent years.

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