Teacher calling family in Lebanon 'four times a day to check they're alive' as she battles to bring them to UK

3 October 2024, 11:54

A teacher from Wiltshire said she is calling her family in Lebanon multiple times a day to see if they're still alive as she tries to get them to safety in the UK.

Amanda Kachar, 34, from Salisbury, is attempting to get her mother, father and other relatives out of cities such Tripoli and the capital Beirut amid the "extremely volatile" situation in the Middle East.

Ms Kachar has been trying to get her family out, but they are struggling to get into the UK in order to be granted asylum.

She said: "We live in this fear, you grow up in Lebanon and you have this fear inside of you.

"Today you're safe and tomorrow you don't know what is going to happen."

Ms Kachar now lives in England with her husband, working as a PE teacher and sending money back home.

One million people have been displaced from their homes in Lebanon since Israel began its bombardment last month.

Read More: 'Leave the blooming country': James Heappey tells Brits to take government advice and leave Lebanon

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She claimed that her country doesn't usually have the media attention of other conflict-stricken countries like Syria, so people may not understand her family's need to escape.

Ms Kachar last saw her family a year and a half ago and calls them up to four times a day to check that they're still alive.

She said: "Every time we leave Lebanon we don’t know when we're going back."

Kachar recalls the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, particularly the ships that came to evacuate British and American citizens.

She claimed that her people had little help, and that you have to "fight for your rights in Lebanon."

British citizens have been urged by the government to get out of Lebanon as the bombing continues, and Israeli ground troops cross the border.

In an address to the country yesterday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said to British citizens: "The situation is extremely volatile, so if you have the means to leave, the time is now. Do not wait."

Ms Kachar claims there is no support for her in the UK, as she's attempted to raise money for blankets, mattresses, and pillows for her friends in Tripoli but "not even one pound came."

Her friends are sleeping on the floor of a school after their homes were destroyed.

She said: "It's sad to see all this happening in your county, you try to reach out to help but obviously nobody cares."

Ms Kachar's comments come as Israeli troops operate within Lebanese borders.

IDF special forces have been deployed to "dismantle" Hezbollah’s military capabilities “preventing it from carrying out another Oct 7-style attack”, the IDF said.

The mass evacuation of Lebanon has caused airport delays at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, the region's only operational commercial airport.

A government spokesperson said: “The safety of British nationals in Lebanon is our top priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice.

“Those seeking to leave Lebanon to join family members living in the UK should apply for a visa which is most appropriate for that purpose.”