A group from Birmingham’s Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, who were on a trip to visit holy sites, were forced to take refuge in a hotel in Israel due to the escalating violence in the region. The group, which included 40 people, 30 of whom were British citizens, travelled to the country at the beginning of October. They were in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Saturday when Hamas attacked Israel. They made the five-mile journey to Jerusalem in a convoy and have been sheltering in a hotel since then.
Father Nenad Popovic, 44, reported that the group could hear horns and explosions, including detonations and bombs. He said, “We have children here, we have old people that need medication because we didn’t plan to stay in Israel.” Mother-of-six Ljiljana Stojsavljevic, 54, from London, added that the group has had no contact from the government since informing them of their whereabouts and that it’s impossible for them to find a flight out of Israel. Airlines have either cancelled flights or warned of travel disruption.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has refused to make any comment on individual cases but has confirmed that it is in touch with several people in Israel. A spokesperson said that the safety of UK nationals remains their top priority and urged people to follow their travel advice.
The situation in Israel has been tense for the past weeks, with multiple rocket attacks on Israel and air strikes on the Gaza strip by Hamas. The recent violence has left hundreds of people dead and over thousands displaced
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More