Earthquake of magnitude 6.3 strikes Crete, Greece, GFZ says, felt in central Israel
An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the island of Crete in Greece on Wednesday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.
The quake was at a depth of 83 km (51.57 miles), GFZ said.
Reports from Israelis, particularly in the center of the country, including Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, reported feeling shockwaves from the earthquake.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake took place in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea at 22:51 UTC (3 minutes ago). The depth was 14km and was reported by EMSC. #earthquake #earthquakes #Sitia #Greece pic.twitter.com/ioUD4mCUxJ
— Earthquake Alerts (@QuakeAlerts) May 13, 2025
Residents in Egypt also felt the quake with the country’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics reporting no casualties or property damage.
The institute said it recorded a quake of 6.4 magnitude 431 km off Egypt’s northern coasts.
Israel tsunami risk
Earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean are felt periodically in Israel. In February, the deputy head of the National Security Council convened a meeting to emphasize that Israel needs to begin preparing for the risks of tsunamis from earthquakes in the region.
Yoav Etiel contributed to this report,