AU student staying in Jerusalem as missiles fly overhead

Anton le Fèvre has been getting little sleep these days, as alarms on his phone often go off when Iranian missiles are launched over Israel. The two countries have attacked each other multiple times since Israel launched an attack on Iran on 13 June.

“We’re tired because we don’t sleep well at night. We’re constantly expecting an alarm. Especially during the first three to four days, alarms often sounded during the night. There were huge clusters of rockets in the sky,” he explains.

Anton le Fèvre holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Aarhus University and is currently pursuing a master’s in International Studies at AU. Since autumn 2024, he has been living in Jerusalem on an exchange at the Hebrew University. Although his exchange officially ended in March 2025, he chose to stay in Jerusalem to prepare for his exams, which he needs to take in Denmark in August.

While the situation in Israel has been tense throughout his stay due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the current situation is different, he explains.

“It’s not unusual to hear sirens; occasionally rockets come from Yemen. But this was different. We were woken up during the night between Thursday and Friday by a notification on our phones that the threat level had risen. During the night, we found out that Israel had attacked Iran, and we began preparing for possible retaliation from Iran,” says Anton le Fèvre, describing one of the attacks:

“On Saturday evening, I was with a friend when we got a notification that Israel had detected missiles launched from Iran. It takes about 15 minutes for them to arrive here. We went out onto the rooftop to see if we could spot anything before the sirens warned us to get to safety. There was a huge swarm of rockets. We counted about 30 rockets in the sky, like comets or shooting stars. We later found out the launch site was about 100 kilometres from where we live. The scariest part is sitting somewhere relatively safe and hearing these incredibly loud explosions in the background without knowing how far away they are. It’s really nerve-wracking while it’s happening,” he says.

AU ADVISED HIM NOT TO GO

Currently, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against all travel to Israel due to a “very high security risk.” However, the ministry has not initiated an evacuation of Danish citizens from the country. Anton le Fèvre is currently exploring his options to return to Denmark. He was supposed to fly at the end of June, but all flights have been cancelled. All airports in the country are closed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that it is currently possible, for example, to travel through southern Israel to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and fly home from there. However, the ministry leaves it up to individuals to assess the risk involved.

“You must assess your own situation and follow local guidance to decide whether to try to leave or if it is safest to stay where you are,” reads an update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated 17 June (in Danish).

Aarhus University already advised Anton le Fèvre not to go in the summer of 2024 before his exchange began in the autumn semester.

“They were very accommodating and wanted to help with alternatives. I have nothing to criticise Aarhus University for at all. It was me insisting on going,” Anton le Fèvre says.

Since July 2024, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice for Israel, AU has recommended students not to go on exchange there, says Rikke Nielsen, Director of International Office at AU. The university currently doesn't offer any exchange places in Israel and follows the Ministry’s travel advice. For this reason, there are currently no students on exchange in Israel, and no students will go there in the autumn semester. AU still maintains cooperation agreements with Israeli universities, Rikke Nielsen adds.

RESOLUTE

Despite AU’s concerns, Anton le Fèvre was determined to go to Jerusalem, even with the conflict in the area. Before his Master’s degree programme, he worked for the Danish Church in Jerusalem and has spent around two years of his life in the city over the past three years. A month after he returned from his first stay, the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.

“I wanted to return to Jerusalem because I thought about the situation here every day. That was my reason for going back to a place I care deeply about. I was going no matter what the security situation was like. It was important to me,” he says, adding:

“I’m not here just to enjoy myself or have a good time. It’s been about being present, witnessing the war, and listening to people’s stories. Jerusalem is a special place, divided between a western, Israeli part and an eastern, Palestinian part, although the whole area is currently under Israeli control. You’re right on the border between Israel and Palestine. I am closely connected to people on both sides of the conflict, and without that connection, I probably wouldn’t have come here,” Anton le Fèvre says.

His visa has automatically been extended due to the situation, but he hopes to return to Denmark before the start of July.

“I’m waiting to see if there will be arranged flights from here. Otherwise, I’ll take a bus to Taba, the border crossing between Egypt and Israel, and then find transport to Sharm el-Sheikh,” he says.

Anton le Fèvre finds it somewhat strange that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leaves it up to citizens to decide whether they should leave the country.

“If evacuation were to be arranged tomorrow, I’m not sure I would take it myself. I feel safe. But it surprises me that evacuation is not offered when the Ministry considers it dangerous to be here. If they don’t want to evacuate people, you’d think the situation is not dangerous enough,” the Danish student says.

Speaking to Danish Broadcasting Operation (DR), Steen Hommel, State Secretary/Chief Operating Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained earlier this week that the ministry is closely monitoring the situation, but evacuation is only used in very exceptional circumstances. He pointed out that it is still possible to leave the country by land via Jordan and Egypt.

Anton le Fèvre wants to stress that he's aware of his privileged position, since he can leave if he wants. He even finds it unfair compared to many people who can't flee the conflict, he says.

“For example, I can travel to Egypt to get away if it all becomes too much for me. At the same time, the residents of Gaza, living right on the border with Egypt, can't leave, even though their situation is infinitely worse than mine,” he says.

TENSE ATMOSPHERE

In the western, Israeli part of Jerusalem, massive investments have been made in bomb shelters, and residents are advised to be no more than 90 seconds away from a shelter. Anton le Fèvre lives in the Old City in the eastern, Palestinian part of Jerusalem, where such shelters are not available.

“I stayed in a shelter at friends’ place in West Jerusalem on the night between Friday and Saturday. But in East Jerusalem, where I live, there are no shelters. The Old City is considered sacred and includes the al-Aqsa Mosque, so there is little risk of attacks here. Therefore, we’re not very worried here, but outside the city walls, people are very afraid of missile attacks,” he says, adding that Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are particularly vulnerable as they have no bomb shelters.

The area where Anton le Fèvre lives currently resembles a city during the COVID lockdowns, he describes.

“Because of the war in Gaza, there haven’t been many people here, and the overall atmosphere has been gloomy. But this is something else entirely now. You can really feel a state of emergency. It’s like how we remember it during the pandemic. Supermarkets are open, but everything else is closed, and there aren’t many people on the streets. There’s a tense atmosphere, and security and control throughout the city have been increased. It’s unsettling,” he says.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen