ALBAWABA - Thousands of Israelis have left their country to live in Northern Cyprus as they bought houses and real estate during the past period.
According to some people on social media, the move was allegedly described as part of a bigger plan by Israel to establish a new settlement in Cyprus.
Many allegedly said that the movement of Israelis to northern Cyrpus came after the Oct. 7 Hamas "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation against Israel, which is the biggest offensive in years. However, according to a journalist and Turkish newspapers, thousands of Israelis have purchased real estate in Northern Cyprus.
Sources uncovered that approximately 35,000 Israelis moved to live in Northern Cyprus and established around 2,000 companies in various fields.
Meanwhile, sources detailed that the movement began before the Oct. 7 war in the Gaza Strip. However, the latest conflict has turned Cyprus into a safe zone for Israelis who are willing to stay away from the war.
A report allegedly confirmed that about 8,000 Israelis have entered Cyrpus following the Israel-Gaza war, in which over 20,000 Palestinians were killed and more than 60,000 others were injured in Israeli aggressive attacks on the strip.
On the other hand, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan released a statement denying that thousands of Israelis have moved to Northern Cyprus and said that only 200 Israelis applied to purchase real estate there since 2000.
Furthermore, the government in the Northern Cyprus Republic is planning a new law to restrict real estate purchases following the latest news.
Nonetheless, in August, Israeli local newspaper Haaretz posted a report regarding the movement of Israelis to Northern Cyprus with the headline "The Second Israel? Israelis Are Streaming Into Cyprus to Buy Anything in Sight."
In its report, Haaretz revealed that a great "number of Israelis are buying homes" in Cyprus adding that the reason can be due to its proximity to Israel and the relatively low cost of living in Cyprus.
