‘I can’t believe I’m in the middle of a war zone’: Hong Kong singer Jill Vidal evacuates from Israel after mounting concerns for her safety

On Sept 25, Hong Kong singer Jill Vidal made an Instagram post, tagging herself in Israel, and announced to her followers that she would be away for three months to join a missionary organisation while providing humanitarian aid in Africa.

But when news broke on Oct 7 that Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas had launched a large-scale invasion of Israel, fans of the 41-year-old grew increasingly worried for her safety.

In the comments section of her post, fans hoped for her to “stay safe” and provide updates to let them know if she was alright.

That day, Jill shared a photo on her Instagram Story (IGS) of smoke emitting in the distance.

She wrote: “Got woken up this morning with the sound of rockets and explosives and sirens going off, we had to rush into bomb shelters.”

She also shared another IGS with a black background, writing: “Heavy hearted. I can’t believe I’m in the middle of a war zone.”

This afternoon (Oct 11), Jill made an Instagram post to assure fans that she has left Israel safely and thanked everyone for their care and concern.

She wrote: “It was an uneasy time being at the war zone, rockets shooting, hearing the sirens, going in and out of bomb shelters, but thankfully I wasn’t alone. I was with a group of good people, we stuck together and took care of each other.

“Once again, thank you so much for those that reached out to me! Let’s keep praying for peace in Israel and Palestine!”

Netizens were relieved that she is safe and wished her well.

One wrote: “Such a crazy time for you to be there. Love ya!”