‘I just want to leave’ – Brit pleads for UK to help him get out of Israel-Hamas war chaos

A British national has pleaded with the United Kingdom’s government to do more and help him and many more get out of Israel amid the ongoing war.

Aaron Barwell, 48, has been left stranded and struggling to get answers as to how or when he will be able to return home after a tourist trip to Israel was cut short due to the unexpected all-out war between the former mentioned country and the Hamas militant group.

Several people from different EU countries have been left stranded in Israel after war was declared between themselves and the Hamas group, who launched a surprise and devastating attack in Israel on Sunday.

Barwell has been speaking about his ordeal over in Israel and how he needs the UK government to do more for himself as he struggles to get home due to the act airlines continue to delay, reschedule and cancel flights out of the capital Tel Aviv.

British tourist left stranded amid Hamas-Israel war

Mr Barwell lives in Newcastle Upon Tyne and had plans of travelling to Jordan after stopping off in Israel, but now his only hope is that he returns to the UK safely and unharmed, but has called on the UK government to start prioritising getting their own people out of Israel.

He said: “I just want to leave the country as soon as possible.

“I couldn’t get a flight to the UK…I’ve got a ticket just to Cyprus just to get out of the country because everything seems to be sold out or cancelled.”

The 48-year-old is not the only Brit, or indeed EU national to be stranded far away from home. It’s believed that many people who are either over in Israel working, visiting family or simply on holiday have now been caught up in the conflict, with several still missing and feared to have been captured.

Barwell, a freelance IT worker went on to criticise the UK government for that lack of help in this worrying situation, he added: “The official advice on the British Embassy website is just to follow basically what the Israeli authorities said.

How is the UK government helping people stuck in Israel?

“In other words, it is absolutely useless because we’re not getting any direction from anybody.

“The only thing I’ve seen, and I’ve only seen it online, is that they’re assessing the situation which they’ve been doing for days when other countries are actually doing something.”

It has also been claimed that Mr Barwell was also turned away from the Jordan border as he sought out any way possible to leave the country and has now had to settle for a one-way ticket to Cyprus, just give himself some space and time to think and be settled.

Despite the death toll racking up on both sides and bodies being left all around Israel’s territory, there appears to be no ease up in the attacks and both sides are still very much in the thick of a deadly war which has displaced thousands of people and caused heartache for even more.