Two separate church groups from Alabama are stuck in Israel following the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas over the weekend.
The Palestinian militant group's attack included thousands of rockets fired into Israeli territory, killing at least 300 Israelis and wounding over 1,500 others.
On Sunday, Rev. Thack Dyson of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Daphne said on Facebook that he and other church members were in Israel trying to book flights out of the country.
"We're here in the middle of a war. This is not what we planned but this is what we got," Dyson said. "It's been a good trip notwithstanding the little hiccup down in Gaza yesterday. Just wanted to let you know that we're safe. We're getting flooded with emails and texts and thank you for your prayers and concerns. We're doing well. Emmanuel Tours is taking very good care of us. We have moved from Tel Aviv to the northern part of Israel in the Galilee region further away from Gaza so we're beyond the range of any of the missiles that were coming out of Gaza. We're going to stay here until we can get flights and fly back to the states. People right now are scheduling their flights. Hopefully, the flights are not canceled. We've had many cancellations already after the flights were booked. I think things are settling down. Hopefully, by close of business on Thursday everyone will be home. Please keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you posted on our status as well."
George Wright, Senior Pastor at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, said during his sermon on Sunday that 11 members of the church in Vestavia Hills were currently in Israel.
"We have a group of members from our church that are in Israel right now. They were there for a mission trip. They're there right now in the midst of all that has been swirling there. They are safe. They are secure. They are in a very good spot, but we are praying that they can quickly and safely return home to us," Wright said.
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