"I have never seen this," travelers arriving in South Florida from Israel share experiences
MIAMI - The sights and sounds coming out of the Israel-Hamas War are fresh in the minds of those arriving back to South Florida.
On Wednesday, people traveling to and from Israel spoke to CBS News Miami at Miami International Airport about their experiences.
Sam Wieder, a former Israeli soldier, says he's never experienced this kind of conflict after his many years of living in Israel. "Living in Israel for over 70 years, I have never seen this," he said.
Hamas' massive, coordinated attack, killing and injuring thousands, are making some desperate for an escape.
Samuel Saka, who went to Jerusalem on vacation, recalls many scared people in the airport looking for a way out.
"The airports were packed because everybody wanted to get out. They were taking flights to Dubai, to Cypress, anywhere just to get out of Israel because they were afraid that the airport might close, and they'd be stuck there," Saka said.
On the other hand, there are those who are hunkering down and gearing up to face the war head-on. Mendel from New York quit his job and booked a flight right to the war zone he says he's going to help. "If they need something at home that the men aren't home for, if there's anything I can do, donate blood - the most minute thing is the greatest thing," he said.
Orly Bussu lives in Israel and already had a planned trip to America, but she is fearful of the many unknowns.
"I was thinking about canceling it because I left my kids and I had to be here for work. It's very frustrating and I'm so scared to leave my kids," she said.
Almost a week into the Israel-Hamas War, there is still a lot of fear that this fight is nowhere near the end.
"My greatest worry about this whole thing is that Israel is going to go into Gaza and they're going to start fighting and they're going to want to finish it off and they're going to want to destroy Hamas and make them as they never existed," said Mendel.
