Israelis stuck in America desperate to get home and help country after family member killed
While many people are trying to escape the ongoing violence overseas, as Israel wages war against militant group Hamas, some Israeli citizens are desperate to get back home and help their country.
Amit Krigsfeld and his brother-in-law Ran Lakar are stuck in California after the fighting broke out over the weekend. The pair were vacationing when Hamas launched a surprise attack on their home, killing thousands and wounding even more.
One of those killed was their 20-year-old cousin, Adar Ben Simon, an officer in the Israeli army. She was "killed on Saturday morning when she was protecting her soldiers with her body. She ran to the gates and she prevented the terrorists from attacking her soldiers, hundreds of them. With her life, she saved so many."
Krigsfield and Laskar were having Shabbat dinner when they learned the tragic news, instantly spurring them into action.
"All of a sudden we got some news, that Israel is bombed, rockets from Gaza," Krigsfield said.
Their flight home, however, was canceled, leaving them stranded across the world from the place they want to be most.
"We are going back. Our flight is canceled right now," he said. "We're both in combat units."
He read one of the final texts that Ben Simon sent his sister, moments before she was killed.
"She added, 'Nine terrorists, running to our gates. I'm with my gun, ready and load.' She fought til the last second."
Without a way to get home, they're left with nothing to do but watch and learn of the ongoing tragedy, remembering the beautiful soul that Ben Simon was and the mark she left on the world.
"She was like a flower. She was the youngest sister out of four, she had a twin brother," Krigsfield said. "She was the comfort for the family. She was excellent officer, student, friend. And now, she's gone."
Krigsfield and Lakar are hopeful to get a flight back home on Wednesday, despite dozens of canceled flights to the airport in Tel Aviv.
