Israeli tourists cut Goa trips short, hope to return soon and enlist in Army

Itamar (27), a former soldier in Israel Defence Forces, who hails from Sderot in Southern district of Israel, over a kilometre from Gaza strip, said he was waiting for the first flight out of Goa to return to his hometown to volunteer in the Army.

“I came here a week ago, but I have to cut my trip short. I want to help my country and countrymen…Sitting here and watching the violence unfold in the news is harrowing. We are constantly checking on friends and family. Some family members have had to relocate.”

Itamar said he had earlier served in a specialised unit in the defence forces for three years. Showing pictures on his phone of his friends, who are presumed missing, he said, “Five of my class-mates and a teacher from high school have died. Ten more are missing. Every hour, we are hearing such reports.”

Tamar Shahar (26), a social media manager from Israel, was talking to her father over the phone, when she heard sirens going off in the middle of the call.

“I could hear the sound of explosions. They kept getting louder…I am extremely worried. My sibling, parents and grandmother are all holed up in our old house. It does not even have a shelter for protection from rockets…My two friends are missing and my sincere hope is that they have been kidnapped, but alive,” she said.

Shahar arrived in Goa three weeks ago for a vacation. She was supposed to fly from Goa to Abu Dhabi and take a connecting flight to Tel Aviv on Thursday, but has been stranded after her connecting flight was cancelled.

“My elder brother was at a music festival in Southern Israel on Saturday morning when they came under a gunfire attack from militants. At least ten friends in his group were killed. It is a miracle that he managed to escape,” she said.

“Perhaps I will stay here for some time until the situation back home is better,” she added.

“I was supposed to attend my cousin’s wedding at home this week. She is getting married in a small ceremony with 20 guests at a shelter…the conflict has upended our lives,” said Shahar.

Dudi, a psychologist, arrived at the Chabad House with his bags packed, eager to return and enlist in the Army. As a bunch of Israeli tourists bid their good-byes to friends, others waited anxiously, hoping to find a flight home soon.

“Only a few flights are available, but the tickets have become very expensive. I arrived here on a one-month visa, which will soon expire. We came here with a group of five people. Three of them have already returned to volunteer in the Army,” said an Israeli national, requesting anonymity.

“I have cancelled plans to travel to other cities. In the midst of this violence, I feel guilty if I go to the beach So, we come here for solidarity and to pray for our loved ones,” she said.

Photo caption: Tamal Shahar (R) with her brother, who is in the Army.