Israeli Teens Trapped in Bulgaria Hotel After Alleged Attack

A group of 18-year-old Israelis remained inside their hotel rooms in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, on Wednesday after what they described as a targeted assault by British tourists the previous night. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the incident and was handling the case.

The teenagers, who recently completed high school and traveled to Bulgaria before beginning military service, said the confrontation began while they were returning from a party. According to their account, another group recognized them as Israelis and started following them through the resort.

Two members of the group were allegedly forced into a side alley, beaten and sprayed with pepper spray. A third teenager was reportedly caught separately, dragged into a dark alley and attacked around the neck.

The Israelis escaped to their hotel but said they feared the alleged attackers were still nearby. They remained locked inside their rooms for hours, avoiding the hotel’s public areas and refusing to go outside because they believed they could be attacked again.

“My son has been locked in his room since last night. They cannot even go downstairs to buy food or water,” the mother of one of the teenagers said.

The families said Wednesday morning that the group had not received practical assistance or police protection. They said the teenagers needed help obtaining basic supplies and arranging a safe way to leave the hotel.

The Foreign Ministry did not release details about what assistance was being provided or whether Israeli representatives had contacted the teenagers directly. Bulgarian authorities had not issued a public statement, and there was no reported confirmation that police had opened an investigation, collected testimony or identified any suspects.

No footage, independent witness account or statement from the hotel had been published by the time of the initial reports. The description of the assault and the identity of those involved therefore remained based on the Israelis’ account.

The motive also remained unconfirmed. The teenagers said the pursuit began after their nationality became known, but no anti-Israel or antisemitic statements were reported. Bulgarian police had not publicly classified the incident as a hate crime.

The case comes as more Israelis seek consular assistance following antisemitic incidents overseas. Foreign Ministry figures released this month showed that 45 Israelis required official help between July 2025 and July 2026 after physical attacks, verbal abuse, spitting, denial of service or removal from hotels and restaurants. Ministry officials said reports on that scale had been rare in previous years.

It remained unclear how many teenagers were traveling together, whether any required medical treatment and when the group would be able to leave the hotel. Bulgaria remained under Israel’s lowest travel-advisory level at the time of publication.