Image of Councillor Andrew Walters (Credits: Salford City Council) alongside image of Jerusalem (Credit: H Winters of Salford Now)

A Salford City councillor has revealed to Salford Now that he and his family are trapped in Israel following a weekend of devastation in the region. 

Andrew Walters, who represents residents of Kersal and Broughton Park, spoke to Salford Now from an air raid shelter in Jerusalem, where he and his family have spent the weekend. 

Thousands of British nationals are thought to be trapped in Israel, after a Hamas attack killed at least 900 Israelis over the weekend, with a number of Britons feared dead or missing. 

Mr Walters revealed he is in a WhatsApp group of 500 people trying to find a way out of the country, after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war following the deadly attacks. 

 

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The Israel Defence Forces reported that over 4,500 rockets had been fired into Israel from Gaza. 

Mr Walters said: “I am safe as I can be considering I am in an air raid shelter, and I have no idea when the next bombs are going to be flying but I’m as safe as I can be.

“I’m in a WhatsApp group with about 500 people in it trying to find flights to the UK or Europe that will get us to London potentially.

“The British are not airlifting their citizens at this point. A friend of mine who’s Swiss in Zurich has managed to convince the Swiss government to airlift the Swiss citizens out.

“Salford councillors of all different parties have been extremely supportive. I’m really touched by the kindness and the offers of help, even if they can’t it’s the fact they want to.”

Air raid sirens have sounded continually across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv since the incursion. 

Hamas gunmen killed 260 people at a music festival on Saturday in one of the most deadly terrorist attacks in Israeli history.

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