Editorial: Outside world drawn in to border war

A view of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo / Getty Images

Many people from around the world were taken by surprise and caught up in the Hamas stealth attack inside Israel a week ago.

In both senses there’s a parallel with the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States: Security and intelligence forces appeared to fumble their work, and the victims of the assault were from everywhere.

Israel and the Palestinian territories attract tourists keen to see religious and historical sites, people combining trips there with Egypt and Jordan, dual-citizens and people with family ties, workers and students.

Among the hundreds killed or missing were Americans, Britons, French citizens, Thai nationals, people from Nepal, Germany, Canada, the Philippines, Ireland, Italy, Austria, China, Brazil, Mexico, Cambodia, Tanzania and Paraguay.

A New Zealand-born Israeli soldier, Adam Agmon, has been reported killed.

Citizens from many other countries either fled in the first hours of the crisis or have struggled to get out amid demand for plane seats and cancellations.

New Zealanders, Australians and citizens of Pacific Island countries have been thrown into a nightmarish situation, including a church group of 45 people.

A Fijian emergency flight managed to bring citizens out. Flights are being organised between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi to get stranded Kiwis away from the conflict and Australia was also evacuating citizens today.

The Times of Israel says countries as diverse as Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Portugal were working to get their people home through repatriation flights.

Shocking events can suddenly send shockwaves well beyond the ground zero, sending non-residents in an, at times, expensive and stressful scramble to safety.

The situation also illustrates how devastating actions cannot be contained at the source but ripple out with unintended consequences. Hamas was attacking Israel but has dealt heavy blows to many foreigners in doing so. Israel is adding to the turbulence with its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Egypt is under pressure trying to prevent Gazans entering, and there are concerns about what Hezbollah in Lebanon might do. Protests have taken place in foreign cities as people are stirred by the conflict.

It all adds to the uncertainty over what happens next and how the conflict could spread, and whether it will spur reassessments of the two sides in outside countries looking on, drawn in to rescue their citizens in a war.