“We are trying to bring forward our return,” says Tica who experienced Hamas attacks in Israel

2023-10-09 01:11:00

A group of 19 Costa Ricans who were on an excursion to the Holy Land in Israel when the war broke out are seeking to advance their return to the country due to growing tensions in the Middle East.

Members of the group include a 10-year-old boy and a 19-year-old girl.

These tourists arrived in Israel last Monday, and although they had originally scheduled their return flight for next Wednesday, the recent escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas has led them to look for a way to return as soon as possible.

This was told by Lauren Campos, one of the members of the group, who shared her experience with Teletica.com.

“Anything can happen here, we are trying to advance our departure from the country. Although in reality we feel safe, it is only as a precaution,” Campos said.

On Saturday morning the group was visiting the Mount of Olives, when they were surprised by the explosion of missiles launched by Hamas. These were intercepted by Iron Dome, an Israeli security system.

“We were on the Mount of Olives, with a tour guide, when the alarms started ringing. It was surprising for us. We didn’t know what was happening. The guide told us to duck.”

Despite the incident, the group continued with their tour for about 10 or 15 minutes. However, the Ministry of Tourism told them that they had to return to the hotel.

After this, the situation worsened and they were confined to the hotel.

For this Sunday, the group managed to move to another hotel located near the Dead Sea, where, according to Campos, the situation is much calmer.

They also confirmed that, although some foreigners initially had problems with their flights this Saturday, the travel agency had already confirmed that their flight is still firm for Wednesday.

The conflict has already left a significant number of victims, with at least 600 dead in Israel and 400 in the Gaza Strip. In addition, it has been reported that at least 100 hostages have been taken by Hamas, including children, women and the elderly.