Tourists compare chaotic Israeli airport to 'insane asylum'

Ben Gurion Airport was packed with passengers eager to leave Israel, everyone was anxious and uncertain.

“It was like a madhouse,” American tourist Alan Goldfarb said of the chaotic scene at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv when he departed on October 7. It took him four hours to reach the gate.

Goldfrab arrived in Israel on October 5, planning to stay for two weeks with his sister. Before leaving, the two tourists planned to go sightseeing. But in reality, they had to stay in a hotel bunker while outside, the streets of the capital Tel Aviv were deserted. The male tourist had to spend $2,000 to buy the last tickets on an airline to return home.

Police help a woman carrying her daughter flee the area hit by a rocket in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on October 7. Photo: AP

A number of American and European airlines have announced cancellations or restrictions on flights to and from Israel following the Hamas attacks. As of the afternoon of October 7, about 16% of flights at Ben Gurion International Airport had been canceled, and 23% had been delayed. The airport was packed with anxious passengers eager to leave.

Goldfrab said he was glad to have left and to be safe, although he had some regrets about not having had time to explore Israel.

Nic Robertson, another American, watched the scene from a distance as bombs fell on the runway. “Everyone was taking cover,” he said. The fear was palpable among the other tourists. They crouched down to find cover.

Lauri Bader, from New Jersey, USA, said on October 6, she and her daughter had lunch outdoors. It was a perfect day on a tour of Israel. Everything was calm, beautiful. Everything changed overnight. At 7:30 a.m. on October 7, she and other tourists were awakened by sirens. "We had to go to a safe room. It was like a bomb shelter," Bader recalled.

American tourists look for the departure gate to leave Israel on October 7. Photo: AFP

Yesterday, she spent the day in a hotel bomb shelter, an experience very different from her previous visits to Israel. Bader described the situation in Israel as chaotic, worrying and upsetting. Like Goldfrab and many other visitors, Bader is trying to make plans to get home.

However, she did not think much about herself because she was safe in the hotel but worried about the local people. "My heart breaks knowing that the people here have to live in fear. It is really terrible," she said.

Foreign ministries in several countries have warned tourists against traveling to Israel at this time for their own safety. The announcements came shortly after Hamas militants poured into Israel yesterday morning and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the country "at war."

Anh Minh (According to CBS News, Independent )

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