On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, three Israeli citizens were attacked with a sharp object in the historic old town of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. At least one victim sustained injuries requiring medical attention. Two suspects — identified as men of Syrian origin — were arrested shortly after the attack following a swift police manhunt and transferred to the Nicosia Criminal Investigation Department. Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Oren Anolik described it unequivocally as an antisemitic act, stating that the victims were “targeted solely because of their visibly Jewish appearance.”

The attack did not occur in isolation. Just two days earlier, on May 24, Cypriot authorities arrested two Palestinian suspects — aged 32 and 38 — on suspicion of plotting a terror attack against Israeli and Jewish targets, with bomb-making materials seized. Together, these incidents paint a deeply alarming picture: Cyprus, long considered a safe and welcoming destination for Israeli tourists, is facing a sharp and dangerous rise in antisemitic hostility on its soil.

This attack is not an isolated incident. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Cyprus has seen a measurable rise in antisemitic incidents: verbal harassment and threats near synagogues in Larnaca, vandalism targeting Jewish community sites, and now a stabbing in the capital’s old town. Police have responded by deploying 24-hour patrols at Jewish sites — a sobering sign that the Jewish community on this island can no longer feel safe without round-the-clock protection.

The broader security picture is equally troubling. The foiled bomb plot just 48 hours before the Nicosia stabbing indicates that Cyprus is not facing random street-level hostility but organised, potentially coordinated violence targeting Israeli and Jewish individuals. Cypriot and international security services are now investigating the full scope of these networks.