JERUSALEM, Israel, Oct. 13, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Students and faculty at Brigham Young University‘s Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies are relocating to Greece amid the current Israeli-Gaza conflict.
In addition to the 93 students and faculty, service couples and faculty members’ families also are relocating to Greece, center officials announced Friday morning.
No violence was reported in Jerusalem on Thursday, with officials describing the neighborhood around the center as “quiet and calm” in a security update.
“Please note that tensions are always higher in Jerusalem on Fridays as Muslims gather on the Haram esh Sharif (the Temple Mount) for noon prayers,” the update says. “So some unrest around the Old City is expected [Friday] in Jerusalem.”
Rocket sirens sounded Thursday morning in Israeli towns surrounding Gaza, central Israel and Beit Shemesh, which is west of Jerusalem, the update says. Rocket fire continued Thursday afternoon in areas surrounding Gaza.
Students were moved into a shelter Monday after rocket attacks from militants in Gaza continued and sirens sounded in Jerusalem.
“Everyone at the Center, including students, moved to the Center’s shelters for the short duration of the attack,” a Monday update says. “Rockets on a trajectory toward greater Jerusalem, which includes the western-most parts of the municipal area, trigger the alarms.
“The rockets were either intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system or fell harmlessly in rural areas between Gaza and Jerusalem. However, damage and injuries from overnight rocket attacks were reported in Ashkelon (between Gaza and Tel Aviv) and Israel towns bordering Gaza.”
