MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - A flight from Israel Wednesday morning touched down in South Florida. The passengers who returned reacted to what it was like after being stuck near the war zone.
The plane packed with passengers from Tel Aviv arrived at around 8:45 a.m.
7News cameras captured the passengers who had smiles on their faces and waved as they made their way through Miami International Airport.
“If you walk around Tel Aviv and all the public squares, you’ll see people packing packages for soldiers, doing anything they can to help the soldiers who are at the front,” Jonathan Javitt. “But of course, every couple of hours, there will be rockets coming overhead, people have to go to the shelter.”
“The airports were packed because everybody wanted to get out, they were taking flights to Dubai, to Cypress, anywhere just to get out Israel ’cause they were afraid that the airport might close and they’ll be stuck there,” said Samuel Saka, who lives in Bal Harbor.
But some passengers arrived with heavy hearts, devastated by the horrific crimes against innocent civilians, women and children back in Israel.
One man who was visiting family in a small community, roughly 20 minutes north of the Gaza Strip, spoke with 7News and described what it was like the day terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday.
“We can see the rockets overhead and we can see the Iron Dome taking care of the rockets,” Alan Rosenstock said. “It was just an awful experience for those people that got killed and those orphans now. The enemy is not an enemy that you’re normally used to. They are beasts, literally. To do what they did to innocent children, and women, and grandparents, it is horrific.”
Rosenstock also describe how as the war progressed, he saw more rockets that were deployed and heard bombings every couple of seconds.
“I look around and I see, I see the pictures and the list of the young people who perished there in this event,” Sam Wieder said. “I’ve never seen this before in my life.
“It’s not fair what’s happening,” said Rabbi Shlomo Elharar, who lives in Myrtle Beach.
7News was told that families who live in Israel plan to stay there. Many described their arrival to South Florida as a temporary situation as they said, with assurance, Israel is there to stay.
The passengers also express their gratitude as people continued to share their stories.
While these passengers were able to leave Israel, several Americans, including a family from Cooper City, remain stranded in Tel Aviv.
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