A full flight from war-torn Tel Aviv touched down at Boston Logan International Airport on Tuesday morning, including young children who spent the last few days huddling into crawl spaces and shelters to shield themselves from the attacks that began over the weekend.
The flight arrived around 6 a.m., and NBC10 Boston spoke with several passengers as they got off the plane.
"I was in Tel Aviv Saturday morning. I woke up to sirens. I saw pretty much everyone in the apartment Airbnb that we were in sheltering in the stairway," said Alon David, who was there visiting family. "My family that lives in the south of Israel is very used to it, but even they were saying this was a lot worse than what they were used to."
"I didn't know until I saw the footage online of what was going on in the south of Israel about how bad this was," he added.
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"We actually could hear the thumping sounds," another person who was on the flight said. "The first time I ever heard anything like it in my life. That's when it sunk in that Israel was at war."
Ariel Bruce, who lives in Israel, was also on the flight with her two children, ages 1 and 6 months.
"I can't put it to words as a mother -- I can't, I can't," she said. "I look at my children and I'm just grateful they're with me."
"[They were] literally taking whole families, putting them and then ransoming their lives."
Tuesday marks the fourth day of the war that broke out in the region on Saturday. And it comes as many airlines are canceling flights to and from Israel, so you can imagine the expected emotion from the travelers once they land.
The war so far has claimed well over 1,500 lives on both sides.
That death toll includes at least 14 Americans, President Joe Biden said in a speech on Tuesday. He said there are additional Americans among the hostages being held by Hamas.
Those actions resulted in demonstrations all over the U.S. on Monday, including here in Massachusetts.
A pro-Israel rally was held on Boston Common at noon on Monday, and a pro-Palestinian rally was held in Cambridge on Monday afternoon.
We caught up with a few people on both sides.
"Israel is the smallest country. Everybody knows someone who is fighting, who is going to fight or died. It's just a question of time before it gets to your door," said Rachel Chafetz, of Newton, who grew up in Israel.
"The ongoing occupation of those lands is bound to result in a form of resistance, and those who rebel against oppression cannot be blamed for rebelling against that oppresion," said Jeff Rosenberg, who was at the rally in support of the Palestinians.
President Biden is set to address the nation on this conflict at 1 p.m. Tuesday, providing updates on the number of Americans killed or being held hostage. No American troops are on the ground at the moment, but the first round of military aid is now making its way to Israel.
