The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrrolle@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN is stuck in Israel as deaths mount in the war between that country and Palestinian militants.

Zane Knowles, a professional basketball player, is desperate to get out of Israel, according to his mother, Peggy Knowles.

She said her son is far from the fight and has remained in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after airlines cancelled international flights when Israel was attacked Saturday.

“I didn’t know he was in Tel Aviv when the bombing started, and we have remained in constant contact ever since,” she said yesterday. “I can tell you it’s not easy. Both me and my husband, we are very concerned about it.

“But I have confidence that God is going to protect Zane, and I believe in the power of prayer.” 

 Mrs Knowles said her son was in good spirits.

 “He always says to me, ‘Mommy, don’t worry about me, I’m gonna be okay despite it all,’” she said. “I have no doubt that my son will get out of there unscathed.”

 The 31-year-old has been playing professional basketball in Israel for about a month, with his last game just over a week ago. He is currently in Gan Ner, a community in northern Israel.

 He was one of two foreign players on the team. The other one, an American, has already left Israel. According to his mother, his remaining teammates have been drafted for the war.

 Mrs Knowles said this is not the first time her son was affected by a sudden war in a foreign country.

 “Zane was in Hungary when the Ukraine war started up,” she said, “so it seemed like he’s been in a lot of areas where there’s conflict. He wasn’t directly involved in it, but he’s seen a lot of the refugees coming in through Hungary. But this situation with Israel is different because he just didn’t have a way out when he was trying to get out.”

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an advisory for Bahamians in Israel earlier this week, urging them to follow the instructions of local authorities.

 It is unclear how many Bahamians remain in that country or how many evacuated.

 Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell told reporters yesterday that he knows at least three Bahamians who were in Israel over the weekend. The Tribune interviewed one of them, Dion Bowe, a senior partner in an advisory and investments firm who said he hired private security contractors to take him and his wife to the airport from their hotel as society collapsed around them. He said he saw dead bodies and bombs flying over.

 “We do not have a diplomatic presence in Israel, but the state of Israel has a responsibility to protect non-citizens, and I’m sure they will follow the international rules on that,” Mr Mitchell said.