Philadelphia region reeling after Hamas attacks kill dozens in Israel

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — As the attack on Israel continues to unfold, back in the Philadelphia area, people with ties to the region are reacting to the latest developments.

Israeli immigrant and Temple student Eden Ankri woke up on Saturday morning to a video captured by her uncle in South Israel showing the devastating destruction.

CBS News Philadelphia

“I feel like my home is burning and I can’t do anything,” Ankri said.

She was overwhelmed by emotion as she received photos of her family huddled in a stairwell for safety.

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“Seeing how my family and my friends are dealing with everything and hearing about my friends that are missing and they might be kidnapped and I can’t reach them,” Ankri said. “There are thousands of others that are terrified in their homes and kids that are going to be traumatized for life.”

Because of the attack, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is condemning the violence and has started an emergency response campaign.

“We want vibrancy for our future,” Michael Balaban, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said. “And we understand the Palestinians want that but we need a partner to be in communication with us, not terrorist organizations.”

Organizations that Ankri says are not a reflection of the Palestinians she grew up with.

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“I have Palestinian friends. I have Arab friends and we live together peacefully and there’s a really big difference between them and terrorists,” Ankri said.

As the violence continues, CBS News Philadelphia spoke to a number of Palestinians now living in our area but none of them felt comfortable talking.

Mike Merryman-Lotze lives in Montgomery County and is a member of the American Friends Service Committee, a peace and social justice organization. He went to the Mideast in May and met with Palestinians.

“The tragedy that we’re seeing today didn’t start today, that the attack from Palestinians from Gaza occurred within a context of one of the most violent years within a decade in Israel and Palestine,” Merryman-Lotze said.

As the death toll rises in her home country, Ankri is staying close to the family she has here, like her father while they both hope for peace.

“I may be naïve but I want to believe that everyone has some good in them,” Ankri said.

A belief that Ankri and her loved ones are all holding on to.

Marcella Baietto

Marcella Baietto is a bilingual reporter with CBS3 Eyewitness News. She’s originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but considers El Salvador her second home since much of her family still lives there.