EXCLUSIVE: Escaping the Battle of Ben Gurion Airport: Jewish Americans reveal their horror flight out of Tel Aviv as they dodged Hamas missiles - and tell of their guilt at 'abandoning' Israel

Two Jewish Americans have shared their harrowing flight from Tel Aviv, narrowly avoiding Hamas missiles as rockets rained down on Ben Gurion Airport.

Dr. Nissan Levy, a resident physician, and David Usher, a physical therapist, both 28, flew from Israel to Dubai before eventually returning home to New York.

As they headed to their flight in Israel Monday, rocket sirens blared, and chaos erupted. The panic escalated as they boarded their flight, when a rocket struck nearby just as they ascended the ramp into the plane.

The aircraft and the ramp itself began to shake violently, Levy and Usher recalled, leaving them petrified and sending travelers into a frenzy. They didn't know if they would ever make it home.

'The scariest thing was on the ramp,' Levy said. 'Getting onto the plane the entire ramp started shaking. We felt the aftershock. It was very surreal,' Usher added. 'That's when we started to get nervous.' 

At JFK airport Wednesday night, the two childhood friends from Nassau County, shared their traumatic journey home from the warzone in Israel, describing the panic and fear they and many other travelers experienced along the way. 

Two Jewish Americans have shared their harrowing flight from Tel Aviv , narrowly avoiding Hamas missiles as rockets rained down on Ben Gurion Airport

'People were running and crying in the airport. It was really traumatic. I lived in Israel for three years, and it was peaceful during my stay,' he added.

'A rocket fell a half mile outside the airport.' Levy said. 'This was a non-stop barrage of sirens and constant booms from the Iron Dome. We were glued to social media for updates.'

The chaos at the airport only added to their stress, with extensive security measures and multiple flight cancellations. 

But the traumatic ordeal began earlier in their journey, during their stay in Israel, where they were vacationing over the Jewish holiday.

Instead of celebrating, they spent their time taking refuge in a basement hiding from rockets and possible terrorist invasions.

The friends were forced to barricade themselves in the basement of the rental they were staying in due to the absence of bomb shelters in their Airbnb.

Dr. Nissan Levy, a resident physician, and David Usher, a physical therapist, both 28, flew from Israel to Dubai before eventually returning home to New York. Their plane began to shake violently as they boarded, leaving them petrified and sending travelers into a frenzy 

As they headed to their flight in Israel Monday, rocket sirens blared, and chaos erupted. The panic escalated as they boarded their flight, when a rocket struck nearby just as they ascended the ramp into the plane

As observant Jews, they refrained from using their phones during the holiday when Hamas began their terror spree, which left them unaware of the severity of the situation until later.

Recalling their experience, Dr. Levy shared, 'We woke up to a siren and realized there was no bomb shelter on the bottom floor of our Airbnb. We had no phones and no minyan (a group of 10 people necessary for Jewish prayer).' 

They spent hours hiding, unaware of the true horrors spreading across the nation as terrorists unleashed evil, murdering and torturing as many innocent civilians as possible.

'We thought it might be an exaggeration until we saw the deserted streets of Jerusalem,' he said. 

'Nobody believed it could get this bad. We heard rumors and heard sirens but only realized how bad it was after,' Usher said. 'We thought it was an exaggeration.' 

The constant sound of sirens and rumors circulating only added to their anxiety.

The departures come after a rocket salvo in the Tel Aviv area landed near a terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport. Video circulated online appeared to show smoke rising from near the airport's carpark

Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel's main international gateway, was packed out by desperate travelers trying to escape on Monday - as the Palestinian militant group launched a rocket strike close to one of the terminals. (Pictured: the scene at the airport on Sunday)

Usher and Levy, who had lived in Israel for years in the past, said it was unimaginable to believe the state of the country, until they saw the empty streets of Jerusalem with their own eyes, which they described as a 'ghost town,' and the fear and panic of people with families trying to get home. 

'This poor lady was freaking out, everyone was trying to scurry out. It was pure chaos and panic,' Usher said. 

'It was surreal,' Usher said. 'There were people running in the airport. People were crying in the airport. It was really traumatic.' 

At the same time, they noted the many people desperately trying to come back into Israel from America to volunteer their service.  

Dr. Levy expressed guilt about leaving Israel during such a crisis, saying, 'I felt like I was abandoning everyone trying to get into Israel. I felt like I was abandoning my country and my people. I'm an American, my life is here, but still.' 

Terrified Jewish-American people who fled Israel amid full-scale war with Hamas have begun landing back in the US on last-minute flights out of the besieged nation. Edn Bendavid (pictured), who arrived in LA, California, from Tel Aviv on Sunday, broke down in tears

Emotional scenes were seen at airports around the world as people fled from Israel amid full-scale war between the country and Palestinian militant group Hamas 

Their journey, which began as a holiday adventure, turned into a nightmare but the two expressed the importance of still being able to enjoy life, despite the horrors. 

They described their conflicted feelings about how to mourn the loss of life and suffering of Israelis without letting the terrorists rid their lives of joy.

Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel's main international gateway, was packed out by desperate travelers trying to escape earlier this week - as the Palestinian militant group launched a rocket strike close to one of the terminals.

A rocket salvo in the Tel Aviv area landed near a terminal. Video circulated online appeared to show smoke rising from near the airport's carpark.

A spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority said there had been a mid-air rocket interception and a possible impact in a nearby village.

They added that there were no impacts at the airport itself.