Rayver Cruz saw Julie Anne San Jose as a strong foundation of hope when they were locked down in Israel following the militant Hamas forces attack on the country on Oct. 8.
In an interview on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the couple shared their experience of having been caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war along with GMA artist Boobay after they went to the country for their trio concert “Luv Trip Na, Laff Trip Pa,” which was supposed to be held at the Smolarz Auditorium at the Tel Aviv University.
They have since arrived safely to the Philippines on Oct. 9.
According to Julie, they had absolutely no idea about the conflict that was happening in the country, “Nung pagkalapag pa lang namin ng Israel, nilibot na namin. Sobrang excited kami na mag-ikot and to visit different places.”
“Ang bilis ng pangyayari,” both Julie and Rayver said as they recalled the time when the bombing started on the morning of Oct. 7.
“Hindi alam [ng mga managers namin] kung paano nila kami gigisingin in a way na sabihin samin na kailangan na naming bumangon kasi may gyera na,” Rayver recounted.
The two of them explained that the place they were staying at had a bomb shelter, and a siren would sound off to signal them that they had to rush to the bunker within one minute as the bomb would drop within 90 seconds.
Rayver shared that there was an instance where the lights of the building they were in began to shake because of how close the third bombing was to them.
When asked if the actor ever thought about proposing to Julie during those life-threatening moments, Rayver said that he was already one with her “mind, body, and soul.”
“Nung time ng pangatlong pagsabog at pagpasok, para sa akin, everything happens for a reason. Siya lang ang nakakaalam, yung sa Itaas,” he said.
“Para sa akin, yung glimmer of hope, yung lakas ng loob ko, nanggagaling kay Julie. So iniisip ko, may rason kung bakit si Julie magkasama kami sa Holy Land. And then for me, mind, body, and soul, kasal na ako sa kanya,” he continued.
The pair’s postponed show was caused by the gun and armed war in northern Israel which had killed hundreds of people, with the death toll still rising. The Islamist group from Gaza launched an attack because of the conflict between Israel and Palestine which stems back to the late 19th and early 20th century over the sovereignty of their territories.
