At the most harrowing of times, some Israeli citizens living overseas aren't running from the war at home, but to it. From Athens to New York, they're rushing to airports and diving into online chat groups for help, desperate to make their way to the country after Hamas militants attacked.
Some of these Israelis abroad are yearning to serve, whether that means fighting in a military reserve unit or volunteering to shuttle supplies to those in need, even as the war has already claimed at least 1,800 lives and shows no signs of abating. On Tuesday, Israel's military expanded its mobilization of reservists to 360,000, according to the country’s media, as it ramped up its retaliation for the surprise attacks.
“I’ve been crying for two, three days. Enough. That’s it. I am ready to fight," he said. “What else would I do ... while my friends are being buried in Israel?” Adam Jacobs, an 18-year-old community college student in New Jersey, said he was born and raised in the U.S. and for years traveled every summer to visit family in Israel. He said he learned his cousin was among those killed, and he wants to make his way to Israel to take on volunteer work, possibly shuttling supplies.Eric Fingerhut, a former U.S. congressman who now leads The Jewish Federations of North America, said he’s not surprised by how many people want to help.
Travel has been challenging, with major airlines suspending flights in and out of Israel. The U.S. State Department issued travel advisories for the region. Some reservists in the United States, home to more than 140,000 people born in Israel, were trying to get on charter flights. In Greece, hundreds of people waited hours to board emergency flights at Athens International Airport, many without a ticket and most traveling from other European destinations after cutting holiday and work trips short. As officers patrolled the area to provide security, volunteers handed travelers apples, bananas and bottled water.
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