Nearly two dozen University of Miami students are headed home after being trapped in Israel amid the escalating violent conflict between the Jewish state and Iran, according the parent of one student and The Miami Hurricane student newspaper.
Melanie Colón, a rising junior at the University of Miami and a South Florida resident, is one of 22 UM students who were in Tel Aviv as part of Birthright Israel Onward, an educational-tourism organization that has brought young Jews to the country for decades.
The UM students were relocated to a more secure location last Saturday, the day after the outbreak of missile attacks between the two countries, the UM Hurricane reported. UM did not sponsor the trip.
The Times of Israel reported that about 2,800 young adults are currently stranded after concluding 10-day tours with Birthright Israel.
Melanie’s dad, Manuel Colón, was at a baseball game in Texas when the news of the missile attacks broke last week. He didn’t pay attention to his buzzing phone at first, but the texts from his sister-in-law kept coming.
"And then I look at the message, my heart just dropped," Manuel Colón told WLRN. He said he felt hopeless.
"What can I do to help my daughter? I can't do anything… And as a father, I'm here to protect and provide, right? What am I protecting and what am I providing now?"
READ MORE: UM students stuck in Israel amid escalating Iran conflict
It helped that Melanie Colón never lost telephone connection. She has been able to call and text her family every day to let them know she's fine.
" She's a tough cookie," said Manuel Colón.
Participants were initially housed in Tel Aviv, but relocated them to a more secure location in the Negev Desert after Iranian missiles struck Israel, according to UM's students newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. There, they sheltered in place in a hotel for five nights. Melanie and her peers are now onboard a boat to Cyprus in the Mediterranean. The students will fly back to the U.S. from there.
Manuel Colón said he has no regrets about allowing her daughter to visit Israel.
"This is her journey. Let her take her journey. You can see the bond of the 22 [students]," he said. "I think these 22 kids will be impacted for the rest of their lives in some way."
In a statement, the University of Miami said they are in close communication with Florida state officials to ensure the students’ safe return.
Birthright Israel Onward has canceled trips that were scheduled to depart on or before July 10, according to their Instagram page.
All flights from Tel Aviv have been cancelled indefinitely.
Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered flights for 1,500 Jewish Americans from Israel to Tampa last week.
The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
