A team of 134 archaeological experts was evacuated through Egypt after getting stranded in Israel on the final day of their multi-month-long excavation at Shiloh in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post learned from Associates for Biblical Research on Monday.
The team, led by excavation director Scott Stripling, who resides in Houston, Texas, had been excavating the ancient site since 2017, but had to leave due to the escalating security situation, particularly concerning a potential attack from Iranian forces.
The situation at the dig site became increasingly dangerous when alarms were raised just after 3:30 a.m. on the final morning of the excavation, signaling an imminent threat.
However, the early warning wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the team typically started their days before 4 a.m., ensuring they completed the bulk of their work in the cooler early hours of the day. Despite the heightened danger, Stripling initially chose to continue the routine, maintaining the mental well-being of his team in the face of uncertainty.
However, with the security situation deteriorating rapidly, Stripling and his team had to make urgent plans for evacuation. By the time of the alarms, about 75 of the original 135 volunteers had already left Israel, but a remaining group of around 65 people was still on-site.
Given the closure of Tel Aviv’s airport, Stripling and his team turned to alternative routes. With the assistance of Net Tours (Near East Tourist Agency), a partner company with offices in both Egypt and Jordan, the evacuation was organized.
The evacuation was carefully coordinated, with the first group of about 30 people leaving over the weekend. They traveled by bus for approximately four hours to the Egyptian border, crossing into Egypt in about two hours. | The Jerusalem Post
