Americans who had been residents in Israel voiced both relief for themselves and anxiety for family and friends staying behind in that nation on Tuesday, June 24, as uncertainty hung over the country hours after a fragile ceasefire deal with Iran was announced.
One group of passengers aboard an evacuation flight arranged by the State of Florida hugged well-wishers as they arrived at the airport in Tampa, grateful that days of dashing inside bomb shelters had ended.
"Sleepless nights for the past week and a half. It has been really intense," said Donna Goldstone, who arrived with her family.
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00:28Can we talk to you real quick about what the journey was like on the way
00:33back? Yeah, I mean it was pretty indescribable. I mean we left Sunday
00:39morning under sirens and then took a bus all the way to Jordanian border, spent
00:46hours at the border there trying to cross over.
00:58Yeah, so we've been running in bomb shelters over 25 times, sleepless nights for
01:06the past week and a half. Yeah, it's been really intense. So we were just trying to
01:11find any way to get out really. There really wasn't many options. You know, we
01:15felt safe once you get into the shelter from the attacks. The biggest concern was
01:21moving across the border into Jordan. You know, we didn't know, you know, people
01:27there, whether they'd be accepting of Israelis, Dana is Israeli, and Jewish
01:32people. So, but you know, our experience is good. We're able, once again, they
01:37kept us, kept us very safe. I'd say the Jordanian people that we met along the
01:41way also were very nice and kind.
01:43That's right, that's what I was looking for.
01:45So, we rented an SUV for all your luggage.
01:48I was like, okay, like if anyone hears something, we're going to let each other know. So smart. Yeah, it worked out. Fantastic. So now what do you do? I actually have a lot of family there. So, you know, I had some time, you know, over the
01:54summer, went to go visit some family. I actually arrived there Thursday Mourning. You know, the
02:11each other now. So smart. Yeah, it worked out. So now what do you do? I actually have a lot of
02:15family there. So, you know, I had some time, you know, over the summer, went to go visit some
02:20family. I actually arrived there Thursday morning, you know, the morning before everything kind of
02:26took place. And then, yeah, you know, came to come see some family and ended up getting stuck
02:32in the middle of a, you know, big conflict between Israel and Iran. And the circumstances
02:37were rough, you know. Obviously, it was supposed to be a fun trip to go see family and, you know,
02:41be in a country that, you know, my family is from and where I'm, you know, ethically from.
02:47And obviously, you know, it wasn't that. It was really kind of just staying home, staying by the
02:52TV, watching the news, seeing what's going on. And then just being in and out of bomb shelters,
02:57you know, as the conflict kept going on, you know, you always had to be close to a shelter to make
03:03sure that in the case, you know, there were sirens, you were close as a beast and were safe.
03:08Yeah, it was pretty scary. You know, we were all outside and, you know, we kind of heard the sirens
03:12and actually saw the missiles coming in over our heads. So, yeah, it was crazy for sure.
