(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.