"We were drinking coffee — and suddenly war": how a Belarusian woman tries to leave Israel

That's what happened on February 28, when the US and Israel struck Iran. Now, civilian aircraft are a rarity in the Middle East, and many tourists, including those from Belarus, are stranded abroad.

Tochka.by spoke with a Minsk resident who, with her husband and daughter, is trying to get out of the Promised Land under the wailing of sirens.

Tickets Bought on the Third Attempt

The Belarusian woman flew to Israel for just a week: to visit her sister, who has lived in Netanya – about an hour's drive from Tel Aviv – for many years. The plan was simple: travel a bit around the country, see Jerusalem, and return home. The return flight was scheduled for March 1.

“I had planned to fly here twice, and both times the trip was disrupted. First, we got stuck in Tbilisi due to the escalation in the Middle East. Then, flights were cancelled again – I didn't get anywhere. So, when we managed to buy tickets for the third time, we were very happy,” the Minsk resident said.

An airline promotion helped: tickets were purchased with a 50% discount. The three of them flew – Alena herself, her husband, and their child.

The first days of the trip passed without incident. The family managed to go to Jerusalem, walk by the sea, and simply spend time together.

A Siren Interrupted a Normal Morning

The morning of February 28 began calmly. The family was getting ready to go to Tel Aviv to spend the day there.

“We were sitting at home, enjoying coffee and planning our trip. Everything was completely normal. And suddenly, a siren wailed! At first, it was even difficult to understand what was happening, as it was my first time experiencing something like that,” Alena recalls.

In Israel, an alarm signal means one thing – you must immediately go to a shelter.

“That's when I learned what a mamad is. It's a concrete reinforced room right in the apartment. When the siren sounds, you need to quickly enter behind the heavy door and close the window with special iron shutters. We were explained that during an alarm, you shouldn't approach the windows; you need to stay in the mamad and wait until everything is over,” says the Belarusian woman.

A few hours after the first siren, a message came from the airline: the flight to Minsk was cancelled.

Non-stop Reschedules and Cancellations

First, the flight was rescheduled for March 5, but then it was cancelled again. Then a new option appeared – March 8, but this flight also did not take place.

Each time, they had to wait and hope that the next flight would actually happen. But the situation changed too quickly.

Павялічыць

“At one point, I actually learned about the cancellation not from the airline, but from the news. Usually, they send messages and emails, but that time there was no notification. And frankly, that only added to our nerves,” Alena emphasizes.

Belavia offered a refund for the tickets, but this did not save the situation: the tickets were bought on promotion, and the compensation would have been significantly less than the cost of new flights. And they still needed to be found.

Павялічыць

“Theoretically, flights with Israeli airlines were available. To get on a plane, one had to fill out a special form on the Belarusian embassy's website, indicating personal data and information about Belavia flight cancellations. But neither this, nor even buying tickets, guaranteed that we would be taken on board,” Alena explains.

She clarifies: if the family somehow managed to get on a plane, for example, with El Al, they would first have to buy three tickets to Tbilisi or Baku (Belarusians cannot fly to Europe because they don't have visas) and then travel to Minsk from there.

“Everyone knows the cost… And that’s just for the flight, not including other expenses,” the Belarusian woman remarks.

No Panic in the City

All this time, Alena has been staying with her sister in Netanya. According to her, despite the alarms, the city lives a normal life.

Locals react to sirens completely calmly, without panicking: they quickly go to a shelter, and then return to their affairs.

Павялічыць

Sometimes an alarm signal can catch you right on the street. For such cases, the city has miklatim – public bomb shelters where anyone can hide.

“If there is no shelter nearby, the rules are as follows: you must lie on the ground face down and cover your head with your hands. This applies to everyone, even drivers who are on the road. Once, a siren caught us in the park in the evening. We were a bit confused then, but one woman just lay down on the ground and told us to do the same,” Alena recalls.

Shops are open in the city, people buy groceries, run errands, and go for walks.

“In the evenings, there are many people in supermarkets, and it's hard to find a free spot in parking lots. But there's no panic, no one is mass buying anything, running around, or tearing their hair out,” Alena explains.

No significant increase in food prices is noticeable either. It should be noted that life in Israel is generally expensive. But even considering current events, you can find some items in stores that are cheaper than in Belarus. There aren't many, but they exist.

For example, tomatoes at about 7 shekels per kilogram (approximately 7 rubles), oranges on discount for 3 shekels, and zucchini for almost 5.

Павялічыць

But meat products are expensive, and fish prices are astronomical. Alena also bought magnesium at a local pharmacy: she had to pay almost 55 shekels for a jar of 60 tablets.

So, How to Get to Minsk?

Be that as it may, the family really wants to return home quickly. When it became clear that flights continued to be cancelled, Alena decided to contact Belarusian diplomats. She wanted to find out if there were any organized exit options.

“I called many times and only after several hours was I able to speak with the staff. By that point, I was already on edge and in hysterics. I just wanted to understand what the options were,” she states.

As a result, the Belarusian woman was connected with the consul.

“They explained to me that there would be no evacuation. They said that there weren't many people and that they could get out on their own. As an option, they suggested traveling through Egypt. I was aware of this route – many tourists are currently using it,” Alena explains.

The route is quite complicated; it takes several hours and requires additional expenses.

First, one needs to get to the southern Israeli city of Eilat – it's more than a four-hour journey from Netanya.

Then – crossing the border in the Egyptian city of Taba and the road to Sharm el-Sheikh. From there, one can try to fly out on a charter flight. The tour operator, whom the woman asked for help, said that tickets were scarce: everything sells out very quickly.

“Frankly, it's the unknown that frightens me the most; it's very scary to travel through Egypt, even by taxi,” Alena frets.

Павялічыць

Nevertheless, the Minsk resident is trying to organize travel via this route. The tour operator found tickets for the family to Gomel with a departure on March 13, costing $1050.

“But while we were thinking, they were already bought. We managed to find another option – for a different date, but a direct flight to Minsk. And I really hope that we will be able to fly out,” Alena states.

…During our conversation, a siren sounds again in Netanya. A few minutes later, the alarm ends – and life there returns to its usual rhythm. And so it goes, in a loop.

What About Flights?

As stated by Belavia, the suspension of flights to Israel continues.

“Israel’s aviation authorities have extended the closure of its airspace until March 23 for foreign air carriers. In this regard, Belavia is forced to cancel two flights from Minsk to Tel Aviv and back: on March 19 and 22,” states the official announcement.

Passengers of cancelled flights can get a refund for their tickets at the point of purchase or change their departure date.

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