(NewsNation) — Americans are struggling to find flights out of war-torn Israel, and some have had to wait up to a week to escape.
Jacob Milner, of Maryland, had been trying to leave the country with his wife and four kids since last Sunday.
Milner said he and his wife spent three to four hours on the phone each day trying to get on a flight but to no avail.
Eventually, after having half a dozen flights canceled, the family was able to catch a plane to Dubai and returned home yesterday.
It was a stressful situation, but Milner urged perspective and said the family’s challenges paled compared to what many are facing.
“Chaos is what’s going on in the south of Israel. That chaos is the sirens and the rockets — that’s chaos,” he said. “This was just me being inconvenienced a little bit and kind of struggling to return my family back home.”
Some states have taken it upon themselves to get U.S. citizens home.
A plane with 270 American passengers landed in Tampa on Sunday evening, where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis greeted them.
DeSantis signed an executive order last Thursday that enables the Florida Division of Emergency Management to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to Israel. The department estimates some 20,000 U.S. citizens are stranded in Israel.
The State Department says it is still desperately working to get a reported 500-600 Americans out of Gaza, which is facing bombardments after Hamas launched a terror attack Oct. 7.
U.S. officials have indicated that the southern border from Gaza into Egypt may eventually open. Therefore, the State Department advises citizens to be near that border as it may open on a limited basis.
The department is also reportedly offering boats out of Israel to Cyprus.