Staff report
A Hampton man about to board a plane in Tel Aviv to return to the U.S. said his flight was canceled when Hamas rockets started raining down on the facility. Joseph Birt is now trying to get back to Florida with the help of donations.
“I took a trip here to Israel, which has been a lifelong dream, but now, with the war going on here due to the terrorist attacks, I am stranded with no money for food, lodging, etc….,” he wrote on GoFundMe.com.
Later Birt reported that the U.S. government got him on a flight to Greece, but he is on his own to get back to the U.S.
“The U.S. State Department has gotten me out of Israel, but now has abandoned me in Athens, Greece,” he said. “Airlines are charging an extravagant amount of money for tickets home to the U.S. PLEASE!!! do not let up now on donating because I am here in Athens and still need help getting home.”
