For Israeli citizen Elana Hayman and her daughter Noa, living in Tel Aviv, things have become dire. An Iranian missile has just hit a building adjacent to their apartment. Thousands of Americans are still desperately battling their way out of Israel. This defeat follows an increase in major hostilities following the Israeli surprise attack against Iran on June 13th. The U.S. embassy has shared possible evacuation routes, but each route poses different dangers.
Hayman, an Israeli citizen who lives in Los Angeles with her family, flew to Israel with her family for a vacation at the start of June. She recounted the nightmare journey they endured. “It was so intense that I thought it hit our building. It shook us to the core,” she said. The psychological toll is not only visible, but destructive, especially on Noa, who is plagued by anxiety. “It was really bad. I was really scared. I just wanted to find any way to leave,” Noa expressed.
In a warning to Americans, the U.S. embassy in Israel suggested that land crossings into Jordan or Egypt could be good options for evacuating. Travelers should be aware that Jordanian airspace is intermittently closed. In the Sinai Peninsula, they are at especially increased risk, and the embassy is unable to provide emergency services in this region. That has made what’s already been a daunting task to coordinate a safe, timely exit from Israel even more challenging.
Karen & Omri Mamon are dual American-Israeli citizens. Having just gone to Omri’s sister’s wedding last month, they’re now in search of an unexpected route back home to Florida. Meanwhile, they have been attempting to get out since the conflict escalated last month. “The first night, we went down to the shelter three times, and since then, we’re just jumping between houses trying to find safe rooms,” Omri recounted.
With 95% of flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport sudden shut down, Americans are stuck. To assist travelers fleeing the conflict, the U.S. embassy in Israel has arranged one-way flights to Athens, from which international flights connecting with the United States are available. Dozens of other Americans remain holed up at a hotel in central Israel, where consular staff have been clearing them as they seek to depart.
“The bombs are bigger, the noises are extremely high … you hear bombs everywhere,” Omri noted, illustrating the chaos that has enveloped the region. His wife Karen added, “The main thing was to bring him back home. He was our priority. … He had a really rough time here with the sirens, noises, the shelters, and lots of people shouting.”
According to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, approximately 700,000 Americans already reside in Israel. Now as the war intensifies, many of them find themselves under precarious circumstances.
