A group of 54 people touring Israel with First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach has safely crossed the border into Jordan after being trapped amid the violent conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Pastor Zach Terry said in an interview on The Morning Show that the group had just crossed into safe territory in Jordan.
“We will feel better when we’re back on American soil,” Terry said.
They were unable to fly out of Israel because several major airlines halted flights in and out of the country amid the fighting.
READ: Airlines halt flights in and out of Israel after a massive attack by Hamas ignites heavy fighting
Terry said the group is still navigating lodging and flights from Jordan back to the States and said it’s likely they’ll have to stay in Jordan until at least Friday or Saturday.
“We hope to be in the sands of North Florida very soon,” Terry said, thanking everyone who has been praying for the group’s safe return to the U.S.
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Among those helping the group navigate their safe return is Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who attends First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach.
“This is my pastor from the First Baptist Church. So we’ve got tons of friends, and we’ve actually got staff members who have family members on that trip, so bringing them home safe is our No. 1 responsibility,” Bean told News4JAX on Monday.
Terry said he has been to Israel many times, but this trip was violently disrupted when Hamas launched a massive attack against Israel, and Israel retaliated with a declaration of war.
“From everything I understand, this is to be the war to end Hamas, and the talk on the street is just that,” Terry said. “Everything they’re going to do will make sure this never happens again.”
At one point, the group was close to the border with Lebanon but then they moved toward Jerusalem when Hezbollah began to encroach into Israel. Terry said they could see the Iron Dome, an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system, working, although some missiles got through.
“Even last night, we heard machine-gun fire within blocks of our hotel. And so there were some skirmishes,” Terry said. “But all in all, we’ve stayed safe.”
Terry said Monday that his group could see the smoke rising over Gaza, which was about 90 minutes from where they were at the time.
Terry said having Americans stand with them amid the terrorist attack means a lot to the people of Israel.
“We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are Palestinians and we have Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters and just people created in God’s image on both sides,” Terry said. “Hamas is a terrorist organization working with other organizations like Hezbollah, and it’s evil. We need to see it put to an end. But there are good people in the Gaza Strip. There are good people in Israel, and they’re very thankful to have the support of Americans.”
Now that the group has crossed into Jordan, Terry said they’ll likely try to see some of the historical Biblical sites there, like the Dead Sea.
“We found that it’s helpful to kind of keep people’s minds occupied,” Terry said. “We’re going to try to keep everybody sort of occupied and their mind off of the conflict and off of home just for a little while longer.”
He quipped about the possibility of floating in the Dead Sea that “everybody could use a spa day at this point.”
“Thanks to everyone for the prayers,” Terry said.
MORE: Follow updates on the group in Israel at https://twitter.com/zachterry
The State Department has a 24/7 coordinating group communicating with U.S. citizens in Israel and providing them assistance through phone calls and an online form.
U.S. citizens seeking assistance to get out of Israel can fill out this form cacms.state.gov/s/crisis-intake or call 1-833-890-9595 or 1-606-641-0131.