BYU Jerusalem Center is safe from Gaza attacks, school says
JERUSALEM — Brigham Young University officials say all students at its Jerusalem Center are safe and accounted for after Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday.
Eric D. Huntsman, the center’s academic director and a BYU professor of Ancient Scripture, said on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, that the students at the center are safe.
“We are safe and well. Our students are in good spirits, and it is a privilege to be taking care of them in this situation. Jerusalem itself has had alarms, but it is secure,” reads Huntsman’s post.
According to the BYU website, all 94 students and ex-pat center personnel living at the center have been asked to remain at the center through Sunday night.
Now that we have gone several hours without sirens or alarms, and because the city is, for the moment, calm, we have opened our balconies and our lovely Level 7 terrace. It is a cool, beautiful afternoon, and because it is still Shabbat, the city itself is quiet. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/XSg4JwqqlG
— Eric D. Huntsman (@EricDHuntsman) October 7, 2023
The center will decide what to do for Monday on Sunday evening.
However, the center said it’s expected for all students to remain at the center until next week, with decisions on travel outside of the center will be made on a day-by-day basis.
On Saturday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was “at war” as Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory.
“A large number of Hamas armed militants infiltrated Israeli towns bordering the Gaza District. The attack was unexpected and caught virtually everyone by surprise. The Jerusalem Center and surrounding area have never been threatened during these flare-ups however it is unclear whether the situation will escalate and affect Jerusalem,” the BYU website stated.
The Israeli military said about 2,200 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel, while armed terror groups infiltrated into Israel by land, sea and air.
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