Israelis stranded in Cyprus: ‘An entire plane full of strangers became family’

TEL AVIV: It was just before four o’clock on Friday morning. Like most of the other aeroplane passengers, Rachel gazed out the window, trying to detect the first signs of light from Israel in the distance.

The El Al flight had already begun its descent, and it felt like it would take forever. It had been a long, tiring overnight flight from New York, and after several days of work, all she needed was to see her husband and kids. And some rest.

It was at that moment, she recalled to The Press Service of Israel, that the captain informed passengers that “due to a security situation” in Israel the plane was not given clearance to land.

Rachel would learn later that Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, declared a state of emergency and closed its skies. No flights have arrived or departed from Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport. Even El Al, the national carrier, is grounded until further notice.

“Please understand that we don’t know much either,” the 30-something year-old teacher recalled the captain saying. “But as soon as we know something, we’ll let you know.” The plane regained altitude and the crew began passing through the cabin, offering water and reassurance to the passengers.

“The truth is, we quickly guessed that it had something to do with Iran,” said Rachel. “If it were a Yemeni rocket, we would just circle and come back. It’s a quick process,” she said.

To Rachel’s astonishment, rather than react with fear or anger, passengers immediately started taking care of each other.

“People held hands, some prayed together or just helped one another. And it was really beautiful to experience how in one single moment, an entire plane full of strangers became a family.”

Soon, the plane landed in Larnaca, Cyprus. “We had to wait for a few hours. I can’t tell you how long. Time lost its meaning,” said Rachel. “But the outpouring of help continued. The crew transformed the back of the plane into a play area for the kids and brought out all the toys usually gifted out. There was no Wi-Fi, and roaming is expensive, yet people were lending their phones to those who didn’t have one or couldn’t use theirs. This American girl opened her phone’s hotspot for like half of the passengers.”

At some point, the passengers were told to disembark and were informed that they would be notified of any updates. Many reached out to the Chabad Jewish outreach centre, whose staff, Rachel said, was “amazing.” Chabad offered the passengers places to stay until they could check into hotels and opened their kitchens to feed 500 people during the Sabbath, which was hours away.

Rachel and her fellow passengers aren’t the only Israelis eager to get home. Cypriot authorities confirmed that 2,500 Israelis are stranded on the island, over 400 kilometres away from home.

On her fourth day in Cyprus, Rachel is doing everything she can to help others. “People are lovely here,” she tells TPS-IL. “Everybody’s very kind, but I can’t be present. It’s like I’m in a split-screen reality.”

As she walks down the streets, she can hear Hebrew everywhere. She stops and talks to the people she meets. “Being here is also an opportunity,” she says, explaining that what she experienced on October 7 in Israel taught her to focus on what she can do instead of what she can’t.

“I know my kids are scared, and my husband is tired. But I can’t go back to Israel now. So, I see this as a chance to help others, too.”
The other people stuck on the island are a melting pot of Israeli society, she noted.

“Religious and secular. Jews and Arabs, by the way, there are several Israeli Arabs as well. Ultra-Orthodox people, and other people from other groups that I normally wouldn’t have contact with in my regular life. Old and young, women and men. In Israel, we would be worlds apart, whether because we live in different religious or non-religious communities, political camps, or because of geography. Here, it’s a kind of shared exile,” Rachel said.

“I was raised to believe we are one people,” said Rachel, whose parents were Soviet refuseniks. “If Jews around the world hadn’t fought together, my parents wouldn’t have reached Israel–and I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Friday, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defence officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.

Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert programme to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction. (ANI/TPS)