Latest news with #ArieZeevRaskin
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Israeli travelers stranded in Cyprus by fighting begin return trip by boat
David Agami has been eager to leave Cyprus and get back to his wife and six children since his flight from the U.S. was diverted when Israel and Iran began trading air attacks last week. On Thursday, he was among hundreds of other Israelis who found spots aboard the Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris, which embarked on the trip of about 270 kilometers (167 miles) to Israel. The ship docked in the port city of Limassol Wednesday morning after dropping off hundreds of Jewish emigrees from the U.S. who were evacuated from Israel. 'There's nothing you can do, it's all God's hands. If it's your time it's your time, I think we'd prefer to be there than here definitely,' said Agami, who is to attempting reach Bet Shemesh between Israel's port city of Ashdod and Jerusalem. Cyprus' chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin told The Associated Press that approximately 6,500 Israelis were in Cyprus after being diverted to the east Mediterranean island, the closest European nation to Israel, or traveling there voluntarily in hopes of catching a flight or boat trip back to their country. Cyprus has become a key transit point for the repatriation of third-country nationals fleeing conflict areas in the region, as well as Israelis and others wishing to return home in the absence of direct flights there. Like many other Israelis, Agami said a collective drive to assist their homeland's defense overrides any concerns about personal safety or security. 'If any other country, I don't think you'd have anyone, you know, going. Everyone would be fleeing,' Agami said. He described an Israeli corporate CEO he knows who left his company and returned to join the army. "If we're not gonna fight for it, who is?' It's a sentiment shared by Ben Fox, the pulmonary unit chief at the Shamir Medical Center, and his wife Liat Fox, an oculoplastic surgeon in central Israel. The couple wanted to get back to their three daughters in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut after attending separate medical conferences in Germany and Sweden. But they also were eager to help the defense effort as medical professionals. 'I mean, you know, obviously what's happening is very worrying, what's happening with the rocket fire,' Ben Fox said. 'On the other hand, we're very happy that our army and our government's taking care of the Iranian problem and of course we want to be with our family and we want to be available to help, you know, if there's medical problems and just, you know, go back home.' The couple were aware of a missile strike against Soroka Hospital in the Beersheeba area of Israel on Thursday, which wounded at least 40 people. 'It's a very important medical center. It's the only medical center for the south of Israel ... And it's just a travesty that it was attacked,' Ben Fox said, expressing suprise that Iranian forces would target a hospital serving a mixed population of Jews, Arabs and Bedouins. Another Israeli in Cyprus, Haifa resident Hanit Azulay, said she doesn't care about the missiles because Israelis have become inured to the threat. 'No, I don't scare. My little daughter is over there, my family is over there and we're regular to this,' Azulay said.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Stranded in Cyprus and beyond, Israelis desperately seek way home
LARNACA, Cyprus/JERUSALEM - When his phone started pinging persistently at 4 a.m. on Friday, the chief rabbi of Cyprus learnt that war had broken out between Israel and Iran. By the time he got to his synagogue three hours later, the street outside was full of Israelis with suitcases. Some had been on flights home that were diverted to Cyprus when Israeli airspace was abruptly closed. Others had been on holiday on the Mediterranean island and had been due to fly home that day, but were now stuck without accommodation. "You feel their pain. They are walking, crying. They have urgent family needs, medical needs," the chief rabbi, Arie Zeev Raskin, told Reuters at his office in Larnaca. Among them were people fearful of not making it home on time for their own weddings, he said. Raskin has been trying to help the travellers, coordinating the search for hotel rooms and offers of hospitality from local Jewish and Cypriot families. Some people have slept in the synagogue. Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to come home. There are no obvious routes. Israel's airspace remains closed to civil aviation, and the government has urged citizens not to return by land via Jordan or Egypt, for safety reasons. Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes, and boat crossings to the Israeli port city of Haifa take about 15 hours. Laura Hoffman, a senior sales executive at a tech company, was flying back from a work trip to Dallas when her flight was diverted to New Jersey. She has three children and her husband was called up for military reserve duty. She made her way to Cyprus, but after days of waiting in vain, she could bear it no longer. Ignoring the official advice, she flew to Jordan with a few others. "I'm with mostly mamas and we're experiencing, I think, deep, primal moments of wanting to be united, literally at all costs, with our children," she told Reuters by telephone. For now, the best hope for those stuck in Cyprus may be the sea route. The Crown Iris, a luxury cruise liner operated by the Israeli company Mano Maritime, will make two crossings to Haifa under a plan approved by the Israeli authorities, Mano said. The ship can carry 2,000 passengers. RESCUE FLIGHTS However, such initiatives are nowhere near sufficient to meet demand. When the Israeli airline El Al opened a portal for passengers seeking to fly home, over 60,000 people immediately joined an electronic queue to register. El Al said on Tuesday it had received permission from the government to start rescue flights on Wednesday from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris. It said the flights were full and passengers with seats had been notified. Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev had said on Monday the government was working with the military and with airlines on a plan to bring everyone home safely in a phased, coordinated operation, but warned this would take time. "I tell citizens: there is nothing to worry about. You are abroad, enjoy yourself. I know it is not easy," said Regev, in comments that drew blowback from some stranded travellers. Zohar Bronfman, the CEO of tech company Pecan AI and a father of three, was returning from a business trip to San Francisco when his flight home was cancelled. He had travelled to Athens with colleagues equally desperate to go home. "If she thinks we're enjoying our time abroad, then she doesn't really understand what we're going through," he told Reuters by telephone. In Larnaca, the neighbourhood around the synagogue was unusually busy, with children playing, men praying and young people scrolling on their phones. Armed police were patrolling the area. A pregnant woman who gave only her first name, Tamar, said she had slept in the synagogue. "We are connecting to so many groups (on social media), but nobody knows when we are going to go back," she said. "I want to be back. I want to be with my family." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Stranded in Cyprus and beyond, Israelis desperately seek way home
LARNACA, Cyprus/JERUSALEM, June 17 (Reuters) - When his phone started pinging persistently at 4 a.m. on Friday, the chief rabbi of Cyprus learnt that war had broken out between Israel and Iran. By the time he got to his synagogue three hours later, the street outside was full of Israelis with suitcases. Some had been on flights home that were diverted to Cyprus when Israeli airspace was abruptly closed. Others had been on holiday on the Mediterranean island and had been due to fly home that day, but were now stuck without accommodation. "You feel their pain. They are walking, crying. They have urgent family needs, medical needs," the chief rabbi, Arie Zeev Raskin, told Reuters at his office in Larnaca. Among them were people fearful of not making it home on time for their own weddings, he said. Raskin has been trying to help the travellers, coordinating the search for hotel rooms and offers of hospitality from local Jewish and Cypriot families. Some people have slept in the synagogue. Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to come home. There are no obvious routes. Israel's airspace remains closed to civil aviation, and the government has urged citizens not to return by land via Jordan or Egypt, for safety reasons. Large numbers have converged on Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to Israel. Flights from the coastal city of Larnaca to Tel Aviv take 50 minutes, and boat crossings to the Israeli port city of Haifa take about 15 hours. Laura Hoffman, a senior sales executive at a tech company, was flying back from a work trip to Dallas when her flight was diverted to New Jersey. She has three children and her husband was called up for military reserve duty. She made her way to Cyprus, but after days of waiting in vain, she could bear it no longer. Ignoring the official advice, she flew to Jordan with a few others. "I'm with mostly mamas and we're experiencing, I think, deep, primal moments of wanting to be united, literally at all costs, with our children," she told Reuters by telephone. For now, the best hope for those stuck in Cyprus may be the sea route. The Crown Iris, a luxury cruise liner operated by the Israeli company Mano Maritime, will make two crossings to Haifa under a plan approved by the Israeli authorities, Mano said. The ship can carry 2,000 passengers. However, such initiatives are nowhere near sufficient to meet demand. When the Israeli airline El Al opened a portal for passengers seeking to fly home, over 60,000 people immediately joined an electronic queue to register. El Al said on Tuesday it had received permission from the government to start rescue flights on Wednesday from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris. It said the flights were full and passengers with seats had been notified. Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev had said on Monday the government was working with the military and with airlines on a plan to bring everyone home safely in a phased, coordinated operation, but warned this would take time. "I tell citizens: there is nothing to worry about. You are abroad, enjoy yourself. I know it is not easy," said Regev, in comments that drew blowback from some stranded travellers. Zohar Bronfman, the CEO of tech company Pecan AI and a father of three, was returning from a business trip to San Francisco when his flight home was cancelled. He had travelled to Athens with colleagues equally desperate to go home. "If she thinks we're enjoying our time abroad, then she doesn't really understand what we're going through," he told Reuters by telephone. In Larnaca, the neighbourhood around the synagogue was unusually busy, with children playing, men praying and young people scrolling on their phones. Armed police were patrolling the area. A pregnant woman who gave only her first name, Tamar, said she had slept in the synagogue. "We are connecting to so many groups (on social media), but nobody knows when we are going to go back," she said. "I want to be back. I want to be with my family." ($1 = 0.8644 euros)
