Concern for group of Irish pilgrims stuck in Israel grows as return f lights are delayed
A GROUP of 50 Irish people on pilgrimage in Israel are currently stuck in the country after their planned flights from Tel Aviv were cancelled as bombing continues.
The scheduled flight that they were booked on tomorrow is now in doubt, according to a spokesperson from The Irish Catholic newspaper who partnered with a travel company on a pilgrimage to Israel last week.
A surprise weekend attack by Hamas fighters has left over a thousand Israelis dead, with hundreds of Palestinians killed in retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared ‘we are at war’ since the bombings on Saturday.
Rockets also struck Tel Aviv and other Israeli communities, while the capital’s airport has also been targeted. Israeli forces have been bombing Gaza every four hours since the weekend attacks.
It had been expected that the Irish group would arrive back at 2.20pm on a direct flight from Tel Aviv. However, this was not possible at the last moment as all flights are now booked out due to the number of people trying to flee the country.
The group, several of whom are from Kilkenny City, are believed to be still ‘safe’ and in the Nazareth area of the country.
However, The Irish Catholic spokesperson added: ‘We now don’t know when the group are going to be able to leave the country we are waiting for Michael Kelly (editor) to let us know. We are hoping it will be later this week.’
Mayor of Kilkenny councillor Joe Malone said that plans to leave yesterday instead did not work out overnight as ‘all the flights leaving the country are booked out.’
He added: ‘The group of Irish people on pilgrimage, with a small number being from Kilkenny city and county are very nervous and getting more anxious by the day.
‘Now they are hoping they will be able to leave on Thursday as scheduled but that is even in doubt now due to all borders being closed.
‘I spoke to one of them who is in a hotel in Nazareth on Saturday night and the hope was that they would be leaving (today) but that all changed overnight. So now people are very anxious, as are their families.
‘They are worried the situation and if it would escalate even further. They have made contact with their families and that’s important.’
Mr Malone said that now that the group cannot leave on their scheduled flight tomorrow. It is hoped they will be able ‘to fly or make their way’ to a safer bordering country.
He noted that if anyone had any concerns about relatives in Israel to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Kelly, who is editor of The Irish Catholic, tried to allay fears for their safety in an X update. Mr Kelly said: ‘We are booked on a flight to Dublin on Thursday.
‘Today our Irish pilgrims (are) in the Holy Land continue our spiritual experience around the Sea of Galilee in the north of Israel, all the while praying for this land and the people who call it home as well as the intentions we carry.’
Last Saturday he posted a video to social media saying that everyone ‘was very, very safe’.
‘Everyone is very, very safe’