BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

‘Absolute nightmare’: American mom stuck in Israel with 8-month-old

  • Rebecca Solomon is among the Americans trapped in Israel
  • She, her husband and child were visiting family south of Tel Aviv
  • More than 900 Israelis have died from the attacks

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — This weekend’s attack on Israel coincided with a holiday that was supposed to be joyous and relaxing, when many people were gathering and celebrating together.

One of them is Rebecca Solomon, who is now stuck in Israel with her 8-month-old baby, trapped by war after visiting family. Like others, she was awoken Saturday to the sounds of air raid sirens.

“It was my first time ever experiencing that, and immediately we went into the bomb shelter, which is in my husband’s parents’ apartment, and it’s also where my baby sleeps, but we went into shelter and that just continued off and on the entire day, and until today actually,” Solomon said Monday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”

The family is in Rishon LeTsiyon, just south of Tel Aviv.

As they hunkered down in the bomb shelter, they could hear and feel Israel’s missile defense system — known as the Iron Dome — at work.

“When we seek shelter, the siren goes off and then like a few seconds later you hear this like booming sound, and you sometimes even feel the vibration of it,” Solomon said. “(The Iron Dome) is a lifesaving blessing that Israel has because if it wasn’t for the Iron Dome, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t even be speaking to each other right now.”

The United States has confirmed at least 11 Americans are among the dead in the war that broke out Saturday after the militant group Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel. Thousands of rockets were fired, and militants stormed through villages, killing and kidnapping civilians.

In a statement, President Joe Biden expressed sympathy for the families of Americans who were killed in the violence as well as those missing and potentially being held as hostages.

“The safety of American citizens — whether at home or abroad — is my top priority as president. While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas,” Biden said.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller also told NewsNation there are U.S. citizens missing, but did not say how many. The administration is working to locate the missing Americans, who the government believes could be held hostage by militant group Hamas.

“It’s so heartbreaking seeing these lives lost, and the people who are being held captive in Gaza, the women and children who God knows what’s happening to them, it’s just a mess,” Solomon said. “It’s an absolute nightmare.”

NewsNation correspondent Kellie Meyer contributed to this report.

Israel at War

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Mostly Cloudy

la

52°F Mostly Cloudy Feels like 52°
Wind
0 mph NE
Humidity
83%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
50°F Cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
3 mph ENE
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Last Quarter