Wodonga's Father Junjun Amaya escapes horror of Israel conflict

Father Junjun Amaya was on a six-week sabbatical in Jerusalem, wandering the streets in a carefree manner two weeks ago, when the air raid sirens started howling.

He said his most terrifying recollection was when he was watching an Australian comedy at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute when a rocket exploded just three kilometres away.

"The iron dome is meant to be quite effective - and it is - but some do get through," Father Junjun, of the Wodonga Catholic Parish, told The Border Mail.

"Before we were ordered to go in the shelter, I was on a bus, and we heard the rockets coming or being intercepted.

"So that's when you have to lay flat on the ground. Then, back at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute we were all ordered to go into the air raid shelter."

Father Junjun said it was not unusual for many people there to hear sirens: "It happens all the time - but this time the war had started.

"Later that day, we would hear explosions, and then a couple of days later, all the time rockets being intercepted.

"They would explode like fireworks, you could hear the explosions and vibrations on the ground as well - yes, it was quite terrifying."

Father Junjun said his accommodation was on the top level of a three-storey building.

"We had to run down to the bottom to get to the shelter," he said.

"We were not very close to where Gaza is, it's about 80 kilometres, but if the rockets are being intercepted we could hear it, we could feel the vibrations and the explosions.

"The closest rocket landed three kilometres from where we were."

Father Junjun, 42, said he was due to leave Israel on the Sunday before the attacks started on October 7.

On that day, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest assault on Israel in years, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters across the border.

Hamas militants killed military personnel and civilians and took hostages.

Father Junjun said he felt stranded and, at times, hopeless.

"I was I due to live Israel on the Sunday and I hadn't heard the airline cancelling flights at that point," he said.

"But then couple of days later we heard that they had cancelled all the flights until the end of October.

"That's where they heard about Australia's repatriation flights - I tried to register in, I didn't get through those repatriation flights at all.

"I, luckily, found an available flight, a commercial one, very expensive - but I just wanted to get out of this place."

After escaping the horrors of war-torn Israel, flying from Tel Aviv to Dubai, Hong Kong then Melbourne, Father Junjun's final delay last Monday in getting back to Wodonga was catching the train from Southern Cross station.

"When I arrived at Southern Cross, I tried to book a train, I arrived at one o'clock so I thought I could get the early afternoon train," he said.

"I was told, sorry, you can't get on that train, you have to wait. Anyway, I eventually got here."

Earlier, Father Junjun kept his parishioners posted of his plight through social media.

"At the moment we are safe and sound here ... but we are told to be always ready and hurry to the air raid shelter when the sirens sound again," he posted on October 9.

"Last Saturday, sirens signalling rocket missile attacks were all over the place. It's relatively calm now, but every moment is unpredictable.

"We pray this will not last long, for many civilians from both sides have now been affected, houses destroyed and family members killed. I trust your prayers for all of us here."

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