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Kiwi mother fears for her children’s safety in Lebanon amid ongoing bombings and airstrikes.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas during last October’s attack. Israel retaliated and has escalated strikes in the last two weeks, killing 1000.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been urging Kiwis to leave Lebanon and seek assistance, issuing warnings against travelling there months ago.
Doaa Al Zuhouri told the Herald she had a flight booked for today, but the airline cancelled at the last minute. She, her husband and their children, aged 8, 5 and 2, are spending their days hunkered inside watching the news as Israeli airstrikes continue.
“We are worried, especially at night when the bombs get worse and the planes are wandering around,” she said, speaking from Majdal Anjar, an hour’s drive from Beirut.
“The kids get very upset and start crying because they don’t want to hear the sounds. The danger is everywhere, like, we could hear and see the fire going around us. It’s so terrifying.”
Al Zuhouri travelled to Lebanon from her home in Dunedin after her mother fell ill in September.
She had only planned to stay for a month, but the situation in the war-torn country deteriorated quickly and she wanted to return to New Zealand sooner.
At the time New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade had issued an advisory to not travel to the region.
People gather in front of a building targeted by an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs in September. Photo / AFP
Hezbollah, a Lebanese political and military group, began firing rockets and artillery at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the political and military group ruling Gaza, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel last October.
Israel responded by launching strikes on Lebanon to target Hezbollah. The Washington Post has reported an escalation in Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon, saying more than 1000 people had been killed in the last two weeks and hundreds of thousands more had been displaced from their homes.
An MFAT spokesperson said Kiwis who needed urgent consular assistance should call their round-the-clock emergency line and urged people to shelter in place and follow local authorities’ instructions.
First responders and Israeli security forces gather amid debris and charred vehicles in Kiryat Bialik in the Haifa district of Israel, following a reported strike by Lebanon's Hezbollah in September. Photo / AFP
“For months, we have strongly urged New Zealanders not to travel to Lebanon, and for those that are there to leave. Many travellers have heeded this advice,” an MFAT spokeswoman told the Herald.
“MFAT is in daily contact with registered New Zealanders that remain in Lebanon.
“Since late last week, the main carrier operating flights out of Beirut has been Middle East Airlines. Over 30 flights are operating daily, but there is significant demand for these, with few seats remaining. We encourage New Zealanders to continue working with airlines and their travel agent to secure departure bookings as they become available.”
Thirty-six New Zealanders are currently in Lebanon listed with SafeTravel.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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