Swedish Tourist Moa Trapped Amidst Missile Attacks in Israel

Moa Kollberg traveled to Tel Aviv to participate in the pride parade when war broke out. The airport was immediately closed, leaving her stranded in Israel as Iran's ballistic missiles rain down on the country.

"I've run to shelters three times today," she says.

Moa Kollberg from Ängelholm traveled to Tel Aviv with two friends for the pride parade, a major event attracting up to 250,000 participants from Israel and around the world.

But now, Israel is in a state of war, the pride event was canceled, all airlines have stopped flying, and she doesn't know how or when she can return home.

Works at an Adventure Park

"My heart raced, and I felt a huge surge of stress when I heard the alarm for the first time. I didn't know what to expect or where to go. I work at an adventure park, but this was too adventurous," says Moa Kollberg, 24, who is employed at an adventure park in Våxtorp in Laholm municipality.

"The first time, we sat in the stairwell. We heard enormous bangs. The entire sky was lit up as Israel's air defense shot down missiles," she says.

The pride parade was supposed to take place on Friday, but on the night before, Israel launched an attack on Iran. Pride was canceled, and all gatherings were banned for security reasons. That same evening, sirens blared across Israel as Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles at Israel.

"Safe Despite the War Situation"

It was the first alarm Moa Kollberg and her friends heard, but not the last. Since Friday, Iran has been launching massive missiles at Israel every night, killing at least 25 people in direct hits and causing widespread destruction. Meanwhile, Israel is attacking Iran, where more than 200 people have been killed.

"I feel quite safe despite the war situation. They have a good system with warnings, alarms, and shelters. After the surprise on the first evening, we've gotten into a routine; there's a shelter right next to the house where we live," she continues.

"We try to make the best of the situation. We're tired after all the alarms at night, but we go to the beach during the day. It's close to a shelter, and the beach is almost deserted because of the war."

Airport Closed

Moa Kollberg and her friends were supposed to return home on Sunday, but the airline announced that the flight was canceled. All other airlines also canceled their flights. Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv is closed and will likely remain closed until the situation calms down.

She says she meets pride participants from different countries who are in the same situation as she is, as well as foreign tourists in general. Similarly, hundreds of thousands of Israelis are stranded abroad without the possibility of returning home.

Moa Kollberg says she has been very fortunate with accommodation in this difficult situation. They had to check out of the apartment they had rented, so she searched for new housing on a local rental site. There, they got in touch with a woman who is letting them stay for free in the apartment she usually rents out.

"Could Continue for Weeks"

"This could continue for weeks; we can't stay indefinitely. Some are trying to leave by land via Jordan or Egypt, but it's very expensive and difficult. We're waiting and taking it one day at a time," says Moa Kollberg.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already advised against non-essential travel to Israel due to the Gaza conflict. Moa Kollberg says they made their own assessment and felt it was safe to travel. Then the Ministry changed its travel advisory to include all travel when the war broke out on Friday.

"We made an assessment before departure and saw that there were rocket alarms very rarely and that the situation hadn't escalated. So it felt safe. Then the situation changed when we were already here," she says.