Former Reserve Bank governor and National leader Don Brash and partner Western Bay of Plenty District councillor Margaret Murray-Benge in Jerusalem.
A well-known Kiwi political couple have described their “frightening” escape from Israel the day after a war broke out, killing hundreds.
Former National Party leader and Reserve Bank governor Don Brash and partner Margaret Murray-Benge, a long-serving district councillor, were driven in the middle of the night past military trucks to a “chaotic” Tel Aviv airport, fearing it could be bombed.
Fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas on Saturday. AP reported the war began after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack in Israel, which declared war and began its retaliation. More than 1800 lives have already been claimed on both sides.
Murray-Benge, a Western Bay of Plenty District Council representative, said she and Brash were on the last leg of their 28-day tour through Egypt, Jordan and Israel.
She described the trip as a “lifetime experience”.
The Tauranga couple arrived in Israel on October 2 and stayed at a hotel in Haifa with their tour group. The hotel had signs pointing to a “safe room”, which she believed was a permanent fixture.
When the conflict broke out, the tour guide reassured them it would likely just last for 24 hours, but two young women in their group panicked and one left the country immediately.
“After 24 hours, it was quite clear that it was a whole lot bigger … There was a real fear,” Murray-Benge said.