FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Flyers arriving to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Israel received a warm welcome Tuesday as they escaped the war zone.
An El Al flight from Tel Aviv landed Tuesday morning as its passengers escaped hostilities with Hamas.
Many were grateful they were able to get a flight. One of those travelers was Esther Jacobson.
“I was praying,” Jacobson said.
She got a big hug from her mom, Chumie, upon arrival in South Florida.
“It was pretty scary,” Jacobson said. “But we are OK.”
She later added, “Thank you so much to every single soldier putting their life on the line to protect me and get me home.”
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Jacobson, like others, considered themselves lucky to make it out.
“Everybody is basically just fighting to get a flight,” passenger Miri Feuer said.
Many still have friends and family members stuck in Israel.
“We still have a lot of family there,” Chumie Jacobson said. “A lot of people there. We need a lot of prayers for cousins, aunts, uncles who live there.”
Besides hugs, others were greeted with tears, balloons and sighs of relief.
“It’s not just like a little altercation, it’s a real war,” passenger Sue Kaskel said.
Some described their experiences in the conflict zone.
“(We) grabbed the baby and ran down to the bomb shelter,” flyer Moshe Feuer said. “We had to wait it out 10, 15 minutes. There were a couple of explosions close by over our heads.”
As the war continues and blood continues to shed on both sides, many are just hoping for peace and keeping everyone in their prayers.
“I have a lot of family in the front lines and a lot of my friends sadly passed away,” flyer Jacob Notis said.
Flyers at Miami International Airport coming from Israel got a similarly warm welcome and expressed fear and sadness over the war.
“Hamas is trying to slaughter us,” one of them said.
Many flyers Local 10 News talked to said some of their friends and family stayed to fight in the war.