Sonia Burkin, who lives in Boston, came to Tel Aviv to see her son get married this week.
The joyous occasions soon turned nightmarish, though, as she and more than 200 relatives who flew in for the wedding were instead forced to seek shelter as violence broke out in Israel.
Burkin spoke to 7NEWS on Tuesday while fighting continued between the Israeli armed forces and Hamas militants after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel over the weekend.
Burkin said the family, at one point, had to rush to a bomb shelter on four occasions in the same night.
“That’s when it just really became real,” Burkin said.
Burkin’s son and his fiance canceled their wedding as their loved ones scrambled for flights to take them anywhere else.
In downtown Tel Aviv, Burkin said she and her family were initially awoken by sirens and the sound of Israeli Iron Dome interceptors targeting rockets fired by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Burkin said the family has spent the last few days bracing for impact.
While the atmosphere was calmer on Tuesday, low rumblings could still be heard in the distance.
“You can still hear the explosions and some of them felt right next door,” Burkin said. “I hope they weren’t right next door.”
Burkin and her family are relieved to know they’re safe. They are concerned, though, for those who have lost their loved ones.
“It’s just a very sad, somber feeling,” Burkin said. “It feels very uncertain.”
Burkin discussed her experiences in an interview around 2 a.m. local time in Tel Aviv while she was still trying to find flights out of Israel.
At the time, Burkin said roughly 30 of the approximately 250 wedding guests at this wedding were still trying to rebook their own flights.
Burkin said she wants the US Embassy in Israel to do more in the current situation.
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