CAIRO, April 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Family members of Israeli diplomats posted in Egypt left Tuesday, April 9, after a series of angry anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. protests in the country amid Israel’s 12-day military offensive against the Palestinians in the West Bank.

The family members boarded a flight for Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, embassy spokesman Nadav Cohen told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"They left for a limited rest and recreation period," he said, but did not elaborate on the reason.

Protestors have been calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador in Cairo and of banning Israeli tourists from entering the country.

Sources at the airport said 45 family members of Israeli diplomats had left the country, but Cohen gave no numbers.

Anti-riot police forces have been protecting the Israeli embassy from demonstrators.

Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania are the only Arab countries with diplomatic relations with Israel.

Under growing public pressure, Egypt said last week it was downgrading its relations to contacts concerning the Palestinians only. Jordan said it wants to maintain relations to influence Israeli policy.

Egypt recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv more than a year ago, leaving the charge d'affaires, to protest Israel's "excessive" use of force against the Palestinians.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli embassy in Cairo has tucked away the Israeli flag from the embassy’s balcony, located on the Nile. Security sources told IslamOnline that the Egyptian government had asked the embassy to do that as part of the security precautions.