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‘Pray for us’: Fernandina Beach church group trapped in Israel amid armed conflicts

Airlines halt flights in and out of Israel after massive attack by Hamas ignites heavy fighting

A group of about 50 people touring Israel with a Fernandina Beach Christian church are now trapped in a country at war.

Pastor Zach Terry of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach said it’s a trip he’s taken many times to tour the places where Jesus ministered and see the historical sites from the Bible.

But during this trip, Hamas launched a massive attack against Israel, which retaliated with a declaration of war.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, said he is working with the State Department and Sen. Marco Rubio to coordinate an exit strategy for the Fernandina Beach group.

“It’s challenging. The airports are open, but there are very limited flights. In fact, yesterday, there weren’t any flights. And so we have to figure out how we can best get them home safe,” Bean said.

Bean attends First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach.

“This is my pastor from the First Baptist Church. So we’ve got tons of friends, and we’ve actually got staff members who have family members on that trip, so bringing them home safe is our No. 1 responsibility,” Bean said.

Terry said they heard rumors about the deadly conflict before they knew how bad it was, including hearing about the attacks on a music festival.

RELATED: Hamas threatens to kill an Israeli hostage whenever Israel hits Gaza civilians without warning

“We assumed at first it was a skirmish type thing. And then as the pictures rolled out, we saw how serious the attack [was]. And, day by day, it’s just gotten a little more intense,” Terry said.

RELATED: Israeli survivors recount terror at music festival, where Hamas militants killed at least 260

Terry said just days ago, his group was in an area very close to the Lebanon border.

“That was safe at the time. But as Hezbollah began to encroach and move into Israel, that got a little more sketchy, so we moved toward Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was pretty safe at the time, but they’re beginning to let missiles fly in this direction,” Terry said. “It’s gotten a little more dangerous. Sirens are going off. We see the Iron Dome working.”

The Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system.

MORE: Follow updates on the group in Israel at https://twitter.com/zachterry

Terry said his group can see the smoke rising over Gaza, which is about 90 minutes from where they are.

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip on Monday. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“At night, we can hear the explosions,” Terry said. “Here in Jerusalem, life goes on. So that helps us -- and just remembering who we are and what Scripture teaches -- that we serve a God who is in control. It gives us a peace in the midst of all this.”

Flights canceled, service suspended

A video posted online appeared to show a plume of smoke near a terminal at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.

Scores of arriving and departing flights at Ben Gurion were canceled or delayed, according to the airport’s online flight board, which also showed a steady trickle of flights. Most were operated by Israel’s national airline El Al along with others by regional carriers like Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines and Greece’s Blue Bird Airways.

READ: Airlines halt flights in and out of Israel after a massive attack by Hamas ignites heavy fighting

American Airlines suspended service to Tel Aviv through Friday. The airline said that it has issued a travel alert providing additional flexibility for customers whose travel plans are impacted.

United Airlines said it allowed two scheduled flights out of Tel Aviv late Saturday and early Sunday and accommodated its customers, crews and employee travelers who were at the airport. The airline said that its Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended until conditions improve.

AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Delta Air Lines said its Tel Aviv flights have been canceled into this week. The airline said it’s monitoring the situation and making schedule adjustments accordingly. The company said customers with canceled flights or who want to change their Tel Aviv ticket should check the Delta app, website or call Delta reservations to make adjustments.

Pastor Zach Terry said the decision by American, United and Delta to suspend service in and out of Israel has left his group trapped for now. He said about half of the group is women, and they’re focusing on finding seats on any flight they can to get the women out of the country first.

“We could be here for a stretch,” Terry said. “So we’re looking for opportunities. If we can find two or three seats on a plane, we’ll jump on those and get as many people to safety as we can.”

Terry said the group is hanging in there and staying calm, and he appreciates those back home who are thinking of them.

“Pray for us,” he said.

‘Heed the warnings’

The U.S. State Department has issued travel advisories for the region citing the potential for terrorism and civil unrest. It says it’s in close contact with officials overseas to locate any missing U.S. citizens and help bring them home.

As of Monday night, President Joe Biden said at least 11 American citizens had been killed in the attacks over the weekend.

“Those numbers are likely to grow,” said Nancy Soderberg, former Ambassador to the United Nations. “This is not over. This is going to be a very bloody dangerous conflict.”

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the West mosque destroyed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, early Monday. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

U.S. citizens are urged not to travel to the Gaza Strip and to use caution in Israel and surrounding countries and in some cases to reconsider travel.

“The best thing Americans can do is check with the State Department. If you’re in Israel, make sure that you register with the U.S. Embassy and follow the instructions. It’s a very serious situation,” Soderberg said. “Take care of yourselves, your family, your loved ones. If you’re an American with relatives there, stay in touch with them. The U.S. embassy will be posting travel warnings of whether it’s safe to go.”

The State Department has a 24/7 coordinating group communicating with U.S. citizens and providing them assistance through phone calls and an online form.

U.S. citizens seeking assistance to get out of Israel can fill out this form cacms.state.gov/s/crisis-intake or call 1-833-890-9595 or 1-606-641-0131.

“Stay safe, listen to your embassy, heed the warnings,” Soderberg said.


About the Authors
Tiffany Salameh headshot

Tiffany comes home to Jacksonville, FL from WBND in South Bend, Indiana. She went to Mandarin High School and UNF. Tiffany is a former WJXT intern, and joined the team in 2023 as Consumer Investigative Reporter and member of the I-TEAM.

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