CHICAGO (CBS) — A south suburban high school student studying abroad in Israel has found himself in the midst of an international crisis as another Chicago area family awaits word on their missing son, feared killed or captured in the deadly Hamas attack over the weekend.
At least 20 Americans remain missing in Israel, and may be held captive, following a bloody surprise attack by Hamas early Saturday, with at least 14 Americans among the more than 900 people killed in Israel.
Josh Drury recorded cell phone video of the rocket sirens blasting Saturday morning. The Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior is studying abroad in Israel. He hid in a bomb shelter for hours during the Hamas attack.
“It was really stressful, and it kind of turned my world upside down,” he said.
In the days since the attack, Drury and his classmates have prepared hundreds of care packages for Israeli soldiers.
“I woke up to the siren alert system, which was really foreign to me, and it threw everyone into a shock when our counselor started yelling, and telling us we had to run to a bomb shelter,” he said.
Drury said the study abroad program was supposed to end in December, but organizers now are trying to find a flight to get students out of Israel as soon as possible.
Meantime, among the missing is Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a man with Chicago area ties who was attending a music festival when Hamas militants attacked, killing at least 260 people, and taking many others hostage.
Early Saturday morning, Hamas gunmen targeted the Supernova outdoor music festival as missiles flew through the air.
Heavily armed fighters descended from hang gliders onto the festival grounds, and by car, blocking off exits, and shooting at random while taking hostages.
“They came under heavy fire; gunfire and grenades,” said Goldberg-Polin’s father, Jon Polin.
Goldberg-Polin, an American Israeli, was at the festival and hasn’t been heard from since the invasion. His parents, originally from Chicago, said the last texts they received from him said, “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”
The 23-year-old’s aunt, Abby Polin, lives in the Skokie-Evanston area. She spoke to CBS 2 on Tuesday at a Glencoe rally in support of Israel.
“We stand with Israel, and our next thing is for everyone to reach out to their politicians, their congressmen, the White House, and the State Department everywhere in our government outside of the U.S. to do everything they can to get my nephew Hersh Golberg-Polin and the other hostages out of there,” Polin said.