Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men sort their cooking utensils at they dip them in boiling water to remove remains of leaven in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Jerusalem: Israel updated its warning against travel to neighbouring Egypt's Sinai region on Sunday, citing deadly Islamist bomb attacks on Egyptian churches and calling on Israelis already visiting to leave immediately.
Two church bombings, one in the city of Tanta and the other in Alexandria, killed at least 43 people earlier on Sunday, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.
"The fatal terrorist attacks which took place today reflect once again the terror capability of the Islamic State," the Israeli government anti-terror bureau said in a statement.
"In light of the gravity of the threat, the anti-terror bureau advises Israelis currently in the Sinai to leave immediately and return to Israel."
Last month the bureau issued a similar warning against travel to the Sinai, a popular destination for Israelis over the week-long Passover holiday that starts at sunset on Monday.
The bureau said on Sunday that it was repeating the call in light of a fresh assessment and what it said was "further escalation in the severity of the threat posed to Israelis visiting Sinai and its immediate surroundings".
Passover marks the Biblical exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
