Pro basketball player from NorCal trapped with family in Israel amid Gaza conflict
SACRAMENTO — A Northern California man and his family are trapped in Israel following the attack in the region by the Hamas militant group over the weekend and Israel declaring war.
Pro basketball player Brad Waldow, a Shingle Springs native, claims to have exhausted nearly every possible way of getting out of the country.
"We're stuck," he said. "We're literally stuck."
Now the husband and father is hoping that U.S. officials help secure an exit strategy.
According to the Shingles Springs native, he has contacted the U.S. Embassy and bought several plane tickets only to have airlines cancel. He said the airport in Tel Aviv was not open,
His family lives in Ashkelon, not far from the Gaza Strip.
"You'll get these notifications and you only have 4-5 seconds to stop everything you're doing, grab your child and run into the safe room," Waldow said.
The State Department reported that it is coordinating 24/7 communications with Americans in Israel. For those in need, there is an online crisis form and phone numbers to call to let the U.S. government know about their situation.
On the third day of violence, Monday was the worst day by far, he said. Not far away, he saw U.S. military ships out at sea.
In the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, Bryce Soderstrom's son is on standby. The father recalls the moment he heard about the surprise attacks on Saturday.
"Initially, it was more of a, 'What we are going to do?' Because I knew we were going to do
Jayden Soderstrom of Stockton is an aviation electrician. Bryce Soderstrom told CBS13 the pair have not spoken in about a month while Jayden's been at sea for several months.
Instead of returning home, he was ordered to head to Israel.
"It's good for us to show that support to our allies," he said.
Meanwhile, Waldow hopes his pleas reach the right people.
"Hopefully, somebody gets us out, they give us some sort of information because right now all the Americans are stuck," he said.
