Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A growing number of Americans stranded in Israel are choosing an overland escape route into Egypt as regional fighting intensifies and evacuation options remain limited.
At a central bus station in Tel Aviv, small groups of foreign nationals including several Americans lined up for government-arranged buses bound for the Taba border crossing. The journey involves a roughly five-hour ride to Egypt, followed by commercial flights from Egyptian regional airports back to the United States and other destinations.
Travelers described the route as costly and exhausting but preferable to remaining under the threat of continued missile fire.
“It was terrifying,” said Helene Shenkman, who had been visiting Israel from Connecticut with her husband. She recalled being awakened by air raid sirens early Saturday morning. “It was just jarring and frightening, really frightening.”
The shuttle service is being funded by the Israeli government and has been referenced by the US Embassy in Jerusalem as one of the few available exit options for foreign nationals. The embassy has said it is not currently in a position to conduct direct evacuations from Israel but has encouraged Americans to consider available commercial and overland routes while exercising caution.
Washington says it is working more broadly to help Americans leave the region. According to Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson, more than 17,500 US citizens have returned home from the Middle East since February 28, including more than 8,500 in a single day.
Still, many travelers say the process has been stressful and uncertain.
Michael Rosenberg, a New York-based landscape designer and arborist, said the conflict abruptly derailed a long-planned trip he had waited years to make. He expressed frustration with the situation, saying the unfolding events appeared to give little consideration to civilians caught in the middle.
The overland movement into Egypt reflects the broader disruption to normal travel routes as the confrontation between Israel and Iran reverberates across the region. With commercial flights limited and security conditions evolving rapidly, diplomats continue urging American citizens to depart using any safe and available means.
For now, buses to the Egyptian border remain one of the few viable escape paths for some foreign nationals, underscoring the logistical challenges facing civilians as the conflict shows no immediate signs of easing.
