47 Israeli tourists are currently stuck in Bosnia and Herzegovina after their passports were accidentally thrown away at a hotel in Sarajevo, preventing the group from returning home. 

 

 

The group was scheduled to return to Israel on Saturday but found that their passports were missing from the hotel’s reception area. Security footage later revealed that a hotel staff member was sorting through papers when a large envelope fell into a trash bin. This envelope, containing the passports, was subsequently picked up by sanitation workers and taken to a dump. 

 

 

The video seemed to confirm that the passports were misplaced without the employee being aware. Efforts to retrieve the documents from the landfill have, so far, been unsuccessful. 

 

 

Some group members told Israeli media they had been instructed to remain at the hotel until authorities resolve the matter, and expect to be stranded for at least a few more days. A few travelers expressed concern that their passports may have been deliberately discarded because they bore Israeli insignia.

 

 

“This is quite unusual. How can someone dispose of passports?” one tourist remarked. “We suspect the passports were thrown away because they bore the Israeli emblem. We want a clear explanation.” 

 

 

Bosnian officials have characterised the incident as unintentional, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that it is providing assistance to the stranded tourists. In a message on Sunday, the ministry confirmed that the situation is being managed by its Department for Israelis in Distress Abroad and the Israeli embassy in Belgrade.