A Kiwi living in Jerusalem says she felt isolated from the deadly fighting between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza until bomb sirens started sounding around her.
Israelis were celebrating the Jewish holiday Simchat torah when Hamas launched rockets and air raids from Gaza on Saturday morning (local time).
Ma'ayan Turner is a Kiwi living in Jerusalem and woke in the early hours of Saturday morning to a phone call telling her "the hostilities had begun".
"We were in shock, but we also felt that we in Jerusalem, we're far away from what was happening in the south. It wasn't really affecting us."
But just two hours later Turner heard the "very scary" first bomb sirens.
"People were beginning to hear the news, certainly once they heard the sirens, they realised that this is beginning to affect us all over the country and not just those who are near Gaza."
Turner told AM her Synagogue held its service in a bomb shelter and attendees tried to sing to "drown out the noise of the sirens".
"It's not only a celebratory service, but also one of those occasions in the year when we really know those who have passed away. And this was a very, very somber moment," she said.
"It's not an easy time here... it's not an easy time here at all."
Watch Turner's full interview above.
