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Six Westchester law enforcement leaders who had been in Israel during deadly, violent fighting that has left hundreds of Israelis and several American citizens dead have successfully returned home.
The six law enforcement leaders had been in Israel as part of a 32-member New York delegation that had traveled to the country on Thursday, Oct. 5 to participate in an international counterterrorism and antisemitism training, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced.
As a result, the leaders had been in the country when the Islamist Hamas militant group broke through the Gaza-Israel border and began a surprise attack against Israel on Saturday morning, which resulted in the death of over 700 people, including nine American citizens.
The attack prompted Israel to retaliate with air strikes targeting Hamas in Gaza, resulting in the death of hundreds more people.
Luckily, after a few days, all six leaders were able to return home on Monday morning, Oct. 9, Rocah announced.
One of the Westchester law enforcement leaders who had been in Israel amid the violence is a deputy chief investigator from the DA's office, who was in communication with Rocah's office throughout the ordeal.
According to the deputy chief, the delegation had been located close to the Gaza Strip where much of the violence is occurring, but managed to find shelter in a safe location.
"We are very thankful to everyone, especially those in Israel, who ensured the safe return of every one of our law enforcement colleagues," Rocah said in a statement on Monday.
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