As Israel continues to assess the death toll and determine how many people are missing or potentially captured following Saturday's attack, Bay Area residents in the warzone are trying to figure out how to stay safe and get back home.
In the last couple days, many Israelis who are not on the front lines have been putting together relief packages for people who are closer to danger zones. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency commissioner and restaurant owner Manny Yekutiel is among those helping out.
"I spent the last seven hours in a hangar in northern Tel Aviv where thousands of people came and worked together to deliver goods to folks who are trying to defend this place," he said. "That filled me with hope.”
Yekutiel was in Israel visiting family when the attacks started Saturday. His family, like many others, raced to hardened shelters when the air attack sirens went off and rockets started coming in from Gaza.
"Even though the sirens stopped for me on Saturday – although there was one today in Tel Aviv not too far from me –you've basically been able to hear nonstop military aircraft overhead, the sounds of the Iron Dome intercepting missiles that are being aimed at innocent civilians," he said.
NBC Bay Area photojournalist Edwin Alvarado is also in Israel visiting family.
“It's scary," he said. "The first day we were inside the bunker and you can hear the explosions."
Alvarado landed in Israel Friday night, less than 24 hours before the attacks began.
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He said he's trying to get back to the Bay Area as soon as possible, but Israel's main airports have been closed because of continued rocket attacks, and U.S. airlines have suspended all flights there.
"All the airlines stopped flying Saturday afternoon," Alvarado said. "It's a lot of people trapped. Hard to get out, yes. The only option is sail on a cruise and get out into Greece."
But taking a cruise ship to Greece may take awhile, so Alvarado is waiting and hoping the main airport in Tel Aviv will reopen later this week.
The U.S. has dispatched its largest aircraft carrier and its support group of ships to the region, and there were initial talks about using the carrier group as a staging area to evacuate Americans in Israel, but the latest word from the Pentagon was there has not been any final plans for such an evacuation.
