Northamptonshire woman tells of fears for relatives in Israel

The Israel-Gaza conflict has already claimed hundreds of lives on both sides

A woman who has relatives in Israel says she fears for her family as the "terrifying" conflict unfolds.

Susan, who lives in Northamptonshire, lived in Israel for many years but said the current situation was "totally different from anything we've known".

She said her grandchildren were "being kept safe in sealed rooms".

The UK Government said it was working to organise flights for UK nationals who wish to leave the country.

Susan, speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, met her husband in Israel and has three children - as well as two stepchildren who live in Israel.

She said the last few days had been causing the family distress.

"We are in touch with the family every day [but] we have to be very careful, we have to bite our tongues and not say anything," she said.

"That's the most frustrating thing: scurrying away into our corner, keeping our heads down, when everybody is saying what they want to say.

"We're warned not to do that."

She said her grandchildren were not in school and were being kept safe in sealed rooms, where they can hear everything that is going on outside.

• BBC News: The latest on the unfolding Israel-Gaza conflict

Every communication she gets from Israel, she says, sets her mind racing.

"I got a text message at 06:30 from an American friend who lives in Israel and my stomach literally went over before I'd read it," she said.

"She said 'It's started, we've had 600 bombs coming over and the terrorists have infiltrated our streets and our homes', and that's what's terrifying."

There have been international protests by worried families

Susan said she considered arranging for her Israeli relatives to come to the UK, but she does not think they would want to leave, adding: "Israelis won't do that, they will stay put to heal themselves and get over it."

"The worst thing is three o'clock in the morning when you start to think of the worst things and you try to stop your mind going completely crazy," she said.