Once living in Tel Aviv, this LA native and mother escapes from the Israel along with her five-month-year-old baby. Alex Rozier reports for NBC4 on Oct. 13, 2023.
Avital, a Los Angeles native living in Tel Aviv, experiencing chaos. She has been on a journey that no mother should ever have to take.
Like other Americans who were caught up in Hamas militants' surprise attack on Israel over the weekend, Avital, whose identity NBC4 is withholding for her safety, saw death and destruction firsthand. She and her 5-month-old baby were forced to flee while leaving her husband behind.
The fear of living under constant threat in her own home became unbearable for Avital. “That’s why I had to leave -- because the whole time that we were there, at night I couldn’t sleep because I was just terrified that someone would come into my home and take my daughter,” she recalled.
Avital's husband, an Israeli Army reservist, will stay behind serving his country.
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“I just had this horrible feeling in my stomach that he was going to be called … I need to make sure my husband is prepared to go into war, to my husband might not come home. I might be a widow,” Avital said.
Avital's story is one among nearly 10 million people in Israel. It serves as a poignant reminder of the far-reaching consequences of war, demonstrating the anguish, fear, and sacrifice experienced by those caught in the crossfire.
As Avital prepares for her one-way ticket to America, she carries a small bag containing only enough clothes for a few days for her and her daughter. Her life has been irrevocably altered, and the uncertainty of when she can safely return to her husband and the life they once knew is a haunting reality.
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“This is my reality now, and I just can’t believe it,” Avital said.
