Palmerston Lilley family land in Dubai after being caught in Israel-Hamas conflict zone

‘People were sobbing, praying, children were crying’. An Aussie family has described their terrifying escape from Israel as missiles rained down near the airport.

A Territory family has escaped the bloodshed of the Israel-Hamas conflict, landing safe in Dubai after a “terrifying” takeoff from an Israeli airport targeted by missiles.

Palmerston photographer Asher Lilley confirmed on Thursday she and her family had landed in Dubai after spending six days caught in the crossfire of a bloody escalation of violence between Israel and Gaza.

Ms Lilley alongside her parents and sister were visiting Israel when Saturday’s surprise co-ordinated bombing campaign began, with a missile landing within 50m of their beachfront hotel.

Palmerston photographer Asher Lilley said she and her family were struggling to get help from the Australian Embassy after being trapped in Israel amid the bloody conflict.

She said the Tel Aviv airport was under a barrage of missiles as the family were queued to fly out.

“Tel Aviv airport had missiles launched at it while we were there which was terrifying,” Ms Lilley said.

She said since there were no shelters big enough to house everyone, hundreds of people had to just drop to the ground.

“People were sobbing, praying, children were crying,” Ms Lilley said.

Palmerston photographer Asher Lilley said missiles were falling at Tel Aviv airport as people tried to flee the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ms Lilley said it was a “relief” to be out of the active conflict zone, but said leaving behind her friends and other stranded Aussies was “super distressing”.

Ms Lilley has condemned the Australian government’s response, decrying the lack of communication and support from the Embassy in Israel.

“We need to get Aussies out,” Ms Lilley said.

“Repat(riation) flights need to come immediately.

“It’s ridiculous, Australia needs a better crisis plan.”

Palmerston family Eden Lilley, Tracey Lilley, Chris Lilley and Asher Lilley on holiday in Israel, before the escalation of violence in the troubled region.

Ms Lilley said there were a few other Australians on their flight out and a lot of Americans, but many tourists who were visiting Israel for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) were still stranded.

Ms Lilley said just a week ago Australia’s Smart Traveller had marked Israel as safer than the United Kingdom, Mexico, Indonesia and France — with the explosion of conflict taking most of the world by surprise.

Thousands of people are estimated to have been killed in the six days since the violence began, following series of bloody terrorist attacks and the bombing of civilians in Gaza with Israel’s defence minister saying he had “released all restraints”.

The Hamas terrorist attacks on civilians has been decried internationally, while the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations has described Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip as “nothing less than genocidal.”

Palestinian citizens evacuate their homes damaged by Israeli air strikes on October 10, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

She said her family would arrive in Darwin by Friday night, after flying from Dubai to Bali to Melbourne with more than 23 hours layover in between.

A close family friend of the Lilleys said they had been “hoping and praying” to be home in the Top End by the end of the week.

In a video Ms Lilley posted to Instagram her family members were crying as explosion could be heard in the distance, her sister’s shaky voice asked “where’s dad?”.

Originally published as Palmerston Lilley family land in Dubai after being caught in Israel-Hamas conflict zone