Many of the Americans stuck in the middle of the escalating Israel-Hamas war are seeing their plans change by the day, including a San Francisco café owner who's trying to put his wait time to good use.
Manny Yekutiel doesn't know what's next for him because the flight he booked out of Israel was canceled.
On Thursday, Yekutiel received an email from the U.S. State Department that read, in part, “We plan to offer transit options beginning on Friday, October 13, but it will take some period of time to schedule everyone seeking to depart. If you choose to take this departure assistance, transportation will be by air to Athens or Frankfurt, or sea from Haifa to Cyprus. You will not be able to choose your destination – we will assign you to the next available flight or ship.
You should be prepared to depart within 8-12 hours of receiving notice of your booking."
Yekutiel said he is torn between relief and sadness.
"Nervous to figure out how I'm going to leave, a little relieved that there's a path for American citizens and also really sad right now because I just said goodbye to my sisters and my parents," he said. "I miss them. I'm afraid. It’s weird to leave them in a country at war."
Yekutiel said his sisters and parents will not leave Israel.
While awaiting a plan to leave Israel, Yekutiel has been spending his time in a restaurant helping to prepare food for soldiers and civilians.
Yekutiel was visiting family when the war started. His cousin "Stav," a fellow café owner, is now preparing to deploy as part of Israel's battle against Hamas. That's something Yekutiel's own father did during the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago.
The U.S. joins a list of countries offering their citizens a path out of the war zone. Poland, Germany, Australia and Canada are doing the same.
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U.S. commercial airlines have suspended service through at least the end of the month, and the foreign flights that remain are booked solid or are on hold.
Yekutiel said that despite the war, he has felt a sense of unity in Israel, which he doesn't expect when he returns to San Francisco.
