Status: 13.10.2023, 19:00 PM
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Attack on Israel: For the past week, Hamas terrorists have been firing rockets from the Gaza Strip. © Fatima Shbair
Just over a week ago, Laurin S. from Eurasburg flew to Israel for a semester abroad. Little did they know that a few days later the country would find itself at war. He managed to emigrate to Germany.
Eurasburg/Tel Aviv – In a telephone conversation with our newspaper, the man from Eurasian reports on how he experienced Hamas' attack on Israel last Saturday morning: Laurin S. was in Tel Aviv partying with other students until about 5:30 a.m. Around 7 a.m., the first rocket alarm sounded – which he and his roommate Robin H. from Ebersberg slept through.
A little later, a second, smaller alarm followed in the south of the city. The 24-year-old himself only found out about this through the news. His accommodation was in the north of the city.
War in Israel: "We went to the beach in Tel Aviv on Saturday afternoon"
"Israel is prepared for such rocket attacks, but not for a terrorist group like Hamas to enter the country," reports the Eurasburger. The attacks famously claimed thousands of lives from rocket strikes, massacres and hostage-taking. The young men were not really aware of the seriousness of the situation at the time. "We went to the beach in Tel Aviv on Saturday afternoon," he says. When the students saw helicopters and jets flying in the sky towards the Gaza Strip, they decided to go home.
Waiting to leave the country: Laurin S. from Eurasion in front of the Foreign Office in Tel Aviv. © Private
During a walk on Saturday evening, the second big alarm sounded. Laurin S. and Robin H. followed an Israeli family into a bunker. To ensure that people can find a shelter in time, they are warned via the Home Front Command app and the Red Alert app. You have one and a half minutes to look for a shelter. "On the instructions of the government, you stay there for ten minutes," explains the man from Eurasburg.
There were a lot of rockets flying over our bunker.
Laurin S., student from Eurasburg
"There were a lot of rockets flying over our bunker, everything was vibrating," he recalls. From that point on, "we became more nervous," Laurin S. describes his emotional state. "The other Israelis took away some of our fear in our shelter. In fact, they were relatively relaxed," he says.
24-year-old experiences war in Israel: "Everything vibrate"
On Monday, the student, together with other fellow students, visited the university in Tel Aviv, which seemed "deserted". Most of the foreign students had already flown home on Sunday, and "an unbelievable number of young Israelis" had been drafted into military service.
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On this day, the university organized an additional seminar "Israel at War". Among others, the former politician and Israeli intelligence chief Dani Yatom spoke at the event. "Israel called for solidarity there, and they asked for donations," says the 24-year-old.
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In addition, the students were informed that the lectures would take place online until further notice. After the seminar, Laurin S. walked around the campus with his roommate – the ground vibrated again as the rockets hit the Gaza Strip. "It was bad," he admits. "But we had confidence in the armed forces."
When a short alarm followed on Tuesday in the morning hours and two in the afternoon, "we had had enough". The two young men wanted to leave Israel as soon as possible and were looking for flights. "It was abnormal. Prices have gone up from 400 to 1000 euros." Without having the guarantee that the plane will take off at all. Some of Laurin S.'s acquaintances booked three or four flights until they were finally able to go home.
War in Israel: Eurasburger and his friend get a flight back to Germany
"We were lucky and got a flight through the Saudi Arabian Airline," reports the man from Eurasburg. However, the duo first had to come to Jordan to do so. Fortunately, the Federal Foreign Office organised the trip to the airport in Amman: "It would have been too unsafe for us to do it on our own."
Laurin S. and Robin H. packed their bags and left for the German embassy in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning. "On that very day, Hamas announced that it would execute hostages," the student recalls. "That made us feel very queasy." Despite Hamas' announcement that there would be further attacks, it was relatively quiet in the Israeli capital. "We were lucky," says Laurin S. "The Foreign Office organized everything well, and we left by bus at 9 o'clock in the morning."
We've talked to a lot of ambassadors. It is completely unrealistic that life in Israel will be back to normal in a month.
Laurin S.
At the Jordanian border, the men had to change to other buses. There they were received by staff from the Jordanian embassy. Now the Germans still had to make their way to the airport. After a total of ten hours of bus travel, they reached their destination. After a stopover in Saudi Arabia, the young men finally landed in Munich on Thursday afternoon.
Whether the 24-year-old will travel to Tel Aviv again is written in the stars. "We talked to a lot of ambassadors. It is completely unrealistic that life in Israel will be back to normal in a month's time." He would love to return. "Tel Aviv is a beautiful city," says the Eurasburger, "both in terms of its people and its landscape. It's indescribable that such incredible things are happening there right now." By Elisa Kieslinger
You can read the latest news from the Wolfratshausen/Geretsried region here.