Thousands of civilians have died, been injured, or taken captive as a result of the surprise attack on Israel launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday.
The attack has resulted in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring war on Hamas, sparking a response from the nation’s military.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller shared on Monday that nine U.S. citizens were among those killed in the violence and that there are still some who are unaccounted for in the country.
One American still in the country is Saint Louis Park native Marc Cohen, who joined News Talk 830 WCCO’s Adam Carter and Jordana Green to discuss what he’s seen in the last 48 hours.
Cohen shared that he and his wife traveled to Israel a week and a half ago for an ironic reason. Cohen said they were celebrating the life of his father-in-law, who died in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the last time the nation of Israel declared war.
When the fighting broke out on Saturday, Cohen said he and his wife made for safety, as the attacks were reminiscent of Sept. 11, 2001.
“I think for Americans to understand this, think back to 9/11. Total shock,” Cohen said.
In comparison to the attack on New York City, Cohen said the scale of Hamas’s attack last weekend would be equivalent to nearly 30,000 people dying from the events of 9/11.
Much like many did when the World Trade Center was attacked, Cohen and his wife quickly went to offer their aid after seeing the destruction caused by Hamas.
“As soon as we understood the magnitude and the scope, the country immediately began to unify,” Cohen said. “And the army has been sent down south. More than 4,000 Hamas rockets have been sent over into Israel. My wife and I were just volunteering in a restaurant kitchen for the last 5 hours, making meals for soldiers. And during that time, we had to stop and go into a bomb shelter because rockets are being fired.”
But clarifying, Cohen said that the rockets are not being fired at military targets but are “being fired to kill civilians.”