New Yorkers returning to John F. Kennedy Airport Tuesday night from Israel described the ordeal of fleeing the war-torn area as “overwhelming.”

“It’s just been extremely overwhelming getting off the plane and seeing the latest news of what they found with the babies,” said Esther Lapidos.

She, her husband Avi, and their three children were staying with family in Jerusalem for the Sukkot when they heard the first siren.

“We’re not familiar with the siren situation. We thought it was an ambulance but then they started knocking on our hotel door. ‘Run, run, go downstairs to the basement,’” said Avi.

Esther and Avi said they struggled with telling their young children about the deadly attacks by Hamas.

“You’re trying not to panic too much, but you have to be careful, you have to be alert, you have to be quick. It’s overwhelming,” said Esther.

Esther, Avi and their children were originally supposed to leave Israel on Saturday night, but their flight was cancelled. They asked a friend, who was armed, to escort them to Ben Gurion Airport so they could find another way out of the country.

“When we got to the airport, it was chaos. So many people, babies crying, mothers crying. Flights were canceled. People were in the airport for 15, 20 hours. There weren’t enough flights,” said Avi.

Esther said all she could think about was getting out of Israel safely, “I just wanted that date to come. I wanted nothing to happen during the time we were waiting. I didn’t want it to escalate.”

They decided to book entirely new flights, traveling from Tel Aviv to Barcelona before landing in New York. And while they are now safe at home, Avi said the nightmare is far from over.

“They were telling us people are getting kidnapped, beheaded. It was the worst out of the worst. It’s like a bad dream,” said Avi.

Meanwhile, Esther’s brothers were called up from the army reserves to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.

“One’s going up north and the other is taking care of the dead bodies. Putting them in bags,” said Avi.

Esther and Avi said they won’t let this violence stop them from returning to Israel once the war is over. But they can’t help but feel scared for themselves, their children and the Jewish people.

“To be honest, it gives you a little bit of fear. She has family. We always try to go there for Sukkot. But now with my kids, I don’t know how they’ll react if we tell them we’re gonna go back to Israel for Sukkot. I’m afraid to even ask them,” said Avi.

“They’re not gonna keep us away from our country,” said Esther.

Meanwhile, American, United and Delta have suspended service from Tel Aviv after the State Department issued travel advisories for the region, citing possible terrorism.