By Daniel Edu
The 310 Lagos pilgrims who recently journeyed to Israel have returned to Nigeria, bringing with them stories of narrowly escaping dangerous situations amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.
lawyer Mrs. Adebimpe Bada recounted their experiences in Israel during the outbreak of the conflict. She revealed that they were in Israel when the hostilities began, but they only learned about attacks on places they had visited after they had left those locations.
“We heard, I didn’t see, we heard that a particular hotel that we had just departed from was attacked about two hours after we left,” Bada explained. “We visited several places, including Bethlehem, Jordan, and Nazareth. What we learned was that the last place we left, just barely two or three hours after our departure, was attacked.”
Regarding how the pilgrims received news of the conflict, Bada commended the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board’s handling of the situation, saying they managed it well, keeping the pilgrims informed and safe.
Another pilgrim, Mr. Emmanuel Bantale, revealed that he had foreseen potential attacks due to the timing of their visit to Israel. He explained, “As a news person, I have been closely following the tension between Israel and Hamas for a long time. I have noticed that the Palestinians tend to escalate their attacks during significant feasts in Israel. We went to Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles, and this made me anxious.”
Bantale continued by describing a moment during their journey when he spotted a parachute at a distance while on a bus en route to the Sea of Galilee. He alerted his fellow pilgrims to it, not realizing that the Palestinians were attempting to attack Israel at that very moment. It was only later, after returning to their hotel, that they realized the attacks had been carried out by individuals using parachutes.
The 310-strong Lagos contingent safely returned to Nigeria, landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, at approximately 12:50 am.
As the Israel-Hamas conflict continued, the death toll approached 1,900, with Hamas launching attacks on the Israeli city of Ashkelon after warning residents to evacuate, marking the war’s fourth day, according to The Economic Times.
