A group of 50 Irish people on pilgrimage in Israel are currently stuck in Israel as two flights out of Tel Aviv on Tuesdat and Thursday they had hoped to be on were full and the second has been put into doubt as bombing continues.
The scheduled flight that they were booked on Thursday “is an evolving situation and things keep changing” according to a spokesperson from The Irish Catholic newspaper who partnered with a travel agency on a pilgrimage to Israel early last week.
The scheduled flight that they were booked on Thursday “is an evolving situation and things keep changing” according to a spokesperson from The Irish Catholic newspaper A second pilgrimage due to travel out there in the coming days has been cancelled.
A surprise weekend attack by Hamas fighters has now seen over a thousand of 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 carrying out bombings on Gaza every four hours since the weekend attacks.
It was hoped 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 numbers of people trying to flee the country.
The group, several of whom are from Kilkenny city and are believed to be still “safe” and in the Nazareth area of the country.
However, The Irish Catholic spokesperson said: “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.”
Eight people from Kilkenny are part of a group of 50 Irish people who are on pilgrimage there with the Irish Catholic newspaper. The trip is to last until Thursday but some of those on the tour and their families in Ireland are said to be “very anxious”.
It is understood a family of four from Kilkenny are part of the group but do not want to speak publicly due to the evolving situation.
Mayor of Kilkenny councillor Joe Malone said that plans to leave today (Tuesday) instead did not work out overnight as “all the flights leaving the country are booked out.”
He added:“I know there are reports that they are safe at the moment and away from most of the trouble but they still have to manage to get out of Tel Aviv. There are rockets flying over where they are.
“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 that Thursday’s flight is part of an evolving situation all options of getting them out of there need to be looked.
“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. This person’s family in Kilkenny are worried as any relative would be.
“They are worried about the evil situation and if it would escalate even further. They have made contact with their families and that’s important."
Mayor Malone said that if the group cannot leave on their scheduled flight on Thursday they need to look at options “on how to make their way home” to a safer bordering country.
He explained, being a former soldier who served in the Lebanon that the 3rd army battalion from Kilkenny are due to go to Lebanon next month and they and the current battalion out there we help at a moments notice.
Israel is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria and Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the south.
The Mayor noted that if anyone had any concerns about relatives in Israel to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Michael Kelly, editor of The Irish Catholic newspaper, tried to allay fears for their safety in an update on X. Mr Kelly said: “We are booked on a flight to Dublin on Thursday.
“Today our Irish pilgrims (are) in the Holy Land continuing 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”.
