New Jersey woman returns home after being stuck in Israel amid growing war
Tomeeka Collins from Sewell, New Jersey, was one of the lucky people who made it back home after enduring a warzone.
SEWELL, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A woman from New Jersey is finally home on Sunday after she was stuck in Israel due to her flight being canceled back to the U.S.
At least 1,300 people have died and 3,227 others have been injured in Israel after the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented incursion from air, land, and sea on Oct. 7, Israeli authorities said.
The number of U.S. citizens killed in the Hamas attack on Israel rose to 30 on Sunday, according to the U.S. State Department.
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At least 13 American nationals are still missing, a State Department spokesperson said.
Tomeeka Collins from Sewell, New Jersey, was one of the lucky people who made it back home after enduring a warzone.
"It was the unknown, I just didn't know what was going on. I just wanted to go home so bad," Collins told Action News.
She was with a religious church group touring Israel when the country fell under attack.
"All of a sudden, maybe 30 minutes after taking pictures, we heard bombs, we heard sirens," she recalled.
Collins said her tour guide told them to immediately get down on the ground.
"We all laid down on the concrete and still not knowing what really happened," she said.
After safely making it back to her hotel, sirens continued to go off and Collins had to seek shelter. She then got word that her flight had been canceled, and luckily she was able to get on the last bus to Jordan.
She then arranged for a new flight out of there. Everyone, especially her family, is thankful she made it home.
"I was worried to death," said Herbert Good, Collins' father. "Said our prayers for her to come home."
Collins says she is continuing to pray for a resolution for the safety of civilians overseas.
On Sunday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released the following statement on the ongoing conflict:
"The last week has been incredibly difficult for many people throughout New Jersey and the world. We mourn for the Israeli and Palestinian victims and families who are suffering unfathomable loss and uncertainty, and condemn all acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. Violence or discrimination against anyone based on their religion, whether it is Judaism, Islam, or anything else, is never justified and runs counter to the principles of equality and tolerance that are the foundation of our state and our country. We pray for continued peace in our state and may New Jersey be a shining example of how diverse communities can live, work and pray together."
ABC News contributed to this report.
