Top News

A British mum has found herself trapped in Israel and unable to leave the country during its ongoing missile exchanges with Iran - and her terrified family back home have no idea when they'll see her again.

Stranded Hannah Lyons-Singer told of the eerie sound of "fighter jets, rockets and birdsong" as she remains stuck in war-ravaged Israel at with her seriously ill father.

The mum-of-three mounted a mercy mission racing to be at the bedside of her stricken dad who fell ill while on holiday with his wife.

She arrived on Tuesday - two days before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion against Iran - and had been due to fly home last Saturday.

But she, along with her parents, are now stuck in a war zone frightened and alone with no idea how they will reach safety and with no contact from British authorities.

Speaking to the Express from a shelter in the ancient port city of Jaffa, near bombed Tel Aviv, frightened Hannah, 43, from North London, said: "I explained to my children mummy's daddy was not very well and I was going to help him. I said it would only be four nights and I would be back.

"But I have no idea how or when I can get home to see them again.

"I have not really had a night away from my children. I am feeling so much guilt and my husband is terrified."

Hannah's 80-year-old father, on holiday to the Holy Land with his wife, arrived in Israel on May 28 and had been due to fly home tomorrow.

But he suffered a serious medical emergency soon after arriving and was hospitalised.

Already suffering with a heart condition, he was unable to keep his regular medication down and suffered heart failure, requiring an emergency operation.

He was discharged the day war broke out and is now holed up in an apartment, and forced to dash to an underground bunker when air raid sirens blare out.

The family has been told he needs to be extracted as soon as possible, but with daily missile bombardments forcing the closure of Israeli airspace and his health too precarious to attempt travel by road, they have no idea how they will leave.

Meanwhile, despairing Hannah has no idea when she will be reunited with her children Eve, 10, Aliza, 7, or Ezra, 4, who are home alone with their petrified father Rafael.

She said: "It's a really strange situation. We had one day of what we could call normality. It is now a completely different country, there is no one out on the streets, lots of places are closed, and all you can hear is fighter jets and bird song. Public transport has closed down and most people are staying near shelters. It's very eerie.

"Nighttime is crazy and you can hear all the deafening explosions. Warning systems are good but one night they failed and I was trying to get my parents out of bed and into a shelter when explosions erupted in the sky above. "Even in the shelter you can hear the loud bangs. There have been direct hits close by and it rocks the buildings.

"We have heard absolutely nothing from British authorities. The only thing they have said is 'don't travel to Israel' which is really helpful. I have registered an emergency case with the embassy in the hope we can leave as soon as possible but who knows what is going to happen.

"We're about eight hours by road from Egypt and that's a big journey to take after a heart procedure, even though my parents are taking it in their stride.

"I have had lots of video calls with my children and it is really upsetting. I have not really had a night away from them and it is so difficult. I feel so much guilt and my husband is petrified. I just miss them so much."