Fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza continues to rage on.

Marc Cohen, the chief of staff with the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, was stuck in Tel Aviv with his family after arriving in Israel for a vacation days before the attack on the country.

Monday morning, he announced that he and his family made it to Dubai, where they plan to make their way back to the U.S.

"Friday night was a holiday called Simchat Torah, which is a really wonderful celebration with singing and dancing,” Cohen said. “We had a really wonderful dinner. We got back to the hotel and went to bed. And were woken up by the sounds of sirens and air attacks with rockets and mortars."

Cohen said his trip was going to be a chance to explore the country and its culture.

“It turned into something very different very quickly,” he said. 

The family of five sheltered in place at a hotel.

“Every three or four minutes, you see military aircraft, helicopters and platoons of [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and police cars on the ground and military operations underway,” he said on Sunday. “And it just doesn’t seem like it should be. They’re advising folks to be vigilant. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. So, at this point, the general sentiment is to be aware, to be prepared and to stay safe.”  

Cohen thanked lawmakers and others who helped him and his family get out of Israel safely.