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Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into Israel

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Shannon Burke, 27, boarding an easyJet flight to Israel on Saturday morning
Shannon Burke, 27, boarding an easyJet flight to Israel on Saturday morning

A British woman has told of her horrific escape from Israel after boarding one of the last flights out of the UK to the warzone.

Shannon Burke, 27, and her friend Ben Hardcastle, 30, took an easyJet flight from London's Luton Airport to Tel Aviv at around 7.10am (BST) on Saturday. That same morning, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, kidnapping dozens of citizens and gunning down festivalgoers near the border with Gaza.

As Shannon stepped foot onto the plane, news stories started popping up on her phone about a potential war breaking out in the region. But as the airline was still operating its flights, she disregarded the reports and believed there was only a small risk.

She told the Mirror: "While flying there were passengers crying and wanting the plane to turn around. It was really weird. There was a 50/50 split of people being terrified and regretting stepping foot on the flight. I was the former thinking 'oh my god we should have never got on this plane'.

Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into Israel eiqtiquridruprwShannon and her friend Ben Hardcastle, 30, seen just before boarding their flight
Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelThey travelled to the warzone on Saturday morning, as Hamas launched a surprise attack

"I think we were one of the last flights to be able to land [in Israel]. We even spoke to staff about our concerns, but they said 'it happens all the time'. It was after we stepped on that things started to emerge, but we trusted that if it got too serious the pilot and air team would land somewhere and not put us in that environment."

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After landing in the city, Shannon got a taxi to her hotel, but soon realised things were not running as usual. She said: "It was definitely eerie from the moment we got there. The streets were desolate. Tel Aviv is usually a city that doesn't sleep, but I could count on one hand the amount of people we saw on the way to the hotel. It was an uneasy feeling."

Shannon and Ben were advised to stay inside the hotel, which had closed all of its facilities. "Bomb sirens were going off every 15 minutes, meaning you have 90 seconds to get underground for shelter or stay in a doorway. I didn't feel particularly safe standing in a stairwell with a missile flying over my head though.

"Seeing those videos of kidnappings on social media... I honestly just felt sick to the pit of my stomach, realising we were in immediate danger. One of my family's biggest fears was the idea of me being held captive in Gaza. That was the worst case scenario."

Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelShannon and Ben took shelter in a basement stairwell as missiles flew overhead
Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelShe said a whole hotel's worth of people were crammed onto the stairwell

They got around half an hour's sleep on Saturday night, while taking shelter underground. Shannon said: "The missile on target actually landed in Tel Aviv while we were there, Three people were injured - one severely and one was found stuck under rubble.

"There was a whole hotel's worth of people crammed into a stairwell on basement level with babies, kids, people crying. There was no aircon so it was hot as well. You could almost pass out from the heat. The hotel staff were all running around panicking as well. Lots of people were just running and didn't know what to do. The staff just said to go down there and not come out."

Between herself, her family and Ben, Shannon says they tried contacting the UK Government around 20 times via calls, emails and logging their location on its website. They eventually managed to escape by boarding a plan to Istanbul, after booking six different flights in the hope that one wouldn't be cancelled at the last minute.

She continued: "[The government] seemed like our only lifeline at one point, then we realised it wasn't a lifeline at all. One evening Rishi Sunak released a statement saying the government was in contact with British nationals, but that was an absolute lie.

Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelIsrael's Iron Dome air defence system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza (AFP via Getty Images)

"We still haven't had a follow up from the government, so as far as they're concerned we're still here. There's literally been nothing. It makes me feel angry - not necessarily for myself, I was lucky enough to be able to get out, but more angry for the people left behind.

"People are still stuck there with young families and have absolutely no support. You would think being a UK citizen you would be one of the best looked after in the world, but unfortunately if you don't save yourself no one else is saving you."

The Foreign Office has since confirmed that it is arranging flights to help get British citizens out of Israel, and the first is due to depart from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The UK has also sent a rapid deployment team to the region to assist British nationals on the ground.

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Taking matters into their own hands, Shannon and Ben booked a flight to Jordan for Sunday morning, and risked a taxi journey to the airport. She said: "The taxi driver was almost in tears showing us pictures of his daughter, who had enrolled into the army for Israel and been sent onto the front line that morning.

Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelPalestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian (AP)

"When we got to the airport we saw huge queues and the military stopping cars, making people stand on the side of road. The minute we sat in the taxi to the minute we got out we just held our breaths. It was terrifying, and felt like an utter gamble with no direction of what was wrong and right."

However, 15 minutes before boarding, they were informed that their destination didn't want anyone from Israel travelling overseas. Shannon said: "We started panicking then and trying to get hold of the UK Government because the evening is the most dangerous time in terms of missiles starting. My friend got hold of someone, but they said 'we don't classify you as being in danger', which didn't help at all.

"We literally said 'are you not aware of what's happening, we're in bunkers with missiles going over our heads'. We gave up on the government idea, and booked several different flights to different locations." After catching a flight to Istanbul, Shannon and Ben travelled to Antalya, where they are spending the remainder of their holiday before returning to the UK.

Brit tells of 'passengers crying' on one of UK's last flights into IsraelJames Cleverly in Israel on Wednesday (JamesCleverly/Twitter)

She said: "We spent the first day sleeping as we hadn't rested in 48 hours. We're still quite traumatised - someone dropped a plate in a restaurant yesterday and we both jumped out of our skin. It's definitely shaken us up.

"We had just planned to go on holiday and had a tour booked to the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, sightseeing.. just enjoy a cultural week in the sun. It almost doesn't feel real now - it was like something you see in a film. I cannot put the stress into words. It felt like life or death every single minute."

In a statement released on Thursday, the Foreign Office said it will be prioritising vulnerable British nationals for flights out of Israel, adding that it will contact those eligible directly and urging people not to make their way to the airport unless they are called.

A spokesperson said: "Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, UK government officials have been working around the clock in London, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to support British citizens in the country. A Rapid Deployment Team has also been sent to Israel to bolster the efforts of British consular officials.

"The safety of all British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice. Those in Israel and the OPTs, including Gaza, are advised to register their presence with the Foreign Office [FCDO].

"The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to parts of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and to advise against all but essential travel to all other parts." The Mirror has also contacted easyJet for comment.

Katie Weston

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