Philadelphia native playing pro basketball in Israel describes living overseas during war
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More than 1,500 people have been killed and thousands more were injured as war rages between Israel and Hamas.
The White House said at least 11 Americans have been killed and more may have been taken hostage.
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Israel's prime minister said the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has "only started."
The toll of this war is being felt across the Philadelphia region.
Jared Armstrong captured a video showing the destruction left behind by missiles near his apartment in southern Israel. He's originally from Philadelphia and is now playing pro basketball for a team in Israel.
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"This is like Israel's 9/11, so I just saw a lot of abandoned buildings that were burnt down, saw a lot of buildings that are on fire," Armstrong said.
Armstrong documented his journey after fleeing from his home to a safer part of the country.
"I told my teammates; I don't know what we need to do, but we need to get out of here. After a couple of hours, we packed up some stuff and headed to a friend's place north of Tel Aviv to just make sure we're safe," Armstrong said.
We caught up with Armstrong again on Tuesday morning.
"Just trying to stay safe emotionally and physically," Armstrong said. "I'm very grateful to the IDF keeping guys and people like me safe."
Armstrong said he had to go into a safe house under his apartment on Monday when rocket sirens were going off.
"Ever since then it's pretty much been quiet where I'm at, but I have friends and relatives all around the country that have lost loved ones," Armstrong added.
In Philadelphia, Palestinian-American Sam Kuttab said his heart is breaking for those living in Israel amongst the devastation.
"It tears me up," Kuttab said. "This is not good. This is not good for Hamas, this is not good for the Israelis, this is not good for the Americans. I cannot see anyone saying, 'We are victorious in this.' Not the Israelis, not the Palestinians."
The general consulate of Israel in New York oversees relations in Pennsylvania. They say Israel is planning for an "unprecedented response."
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"The goal is to cripple their will and capabilities to ever again commit such a crime," Tsach Saar, the deputy and action consul general of Israel in New York, said.
"Rather than look for punishment, look for a way to fix this. That's what we need to do," Kuttab said.
Many like Kuttab are calling for the violence to stop as they hope both sides can come to a compromise.
"When you talk about peace, you need to take steps toward peace," Kuttab said.
