PHOENIX – Thirty-three American students on a trip to Israel, including 17 from Arizona, were safely evacuated back to the U.S. amid the recent military conflict with Iran, officials announced Wednesday.
The educational trip, which was coordinated by the high school students’ congregation, started on June 4.
Eight days later, Israel launched a missile strike against Iran, prompting an exchange of attacks over the ensuing days. Israel closed its main international airport in Tel Aviv during the conflict, severely limiting travel options out of the country.
Parents contacted senators after trip to Israel disrupted by missile attacks
Arizona U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego started hearing from concerned parents on June 15.
“It is such a helpless, scary feeling to have your child thousands of miles away going into a bomb shelter multiple times a day as warning sirens ring out and missiles approach Israel,” Brett Kurland, the father of one of the students, said in a press release.
The senators reached out to U.S. and Israeli officials to seek assistance in bringing travel group back home.
“When I first heard about these students, as a dad, I imagined how their parents felt, separated from them without the ability to get them home,” Kelly said in the release. “Sen. Gallego and I immediately got to work on the phones calling everyone we could to find them safe passage.”
How did members of trip to Israel get home safely?
The effort led to the group securing passage on a cruise ship bound for Cyprus last Friday, several days before Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire. The ship arrived in Cyprus after 18 hours at sea.
The group flew into New York on Tuesday, and the 17 Arizona students landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport a day later.
“I’m deeply grateful to the Department of State and our partners on the ground — especially Ambassador (Mike) Huckabee and the Israeli Consulate General — whose coordination was critical. Knowing these teens are finally home, we can all breathe a sigh of relief,” Gallego said in the release.
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