Former Olympian Nova Peris is among several First Nations Australians sheltering in Jerusalem, as tensions between Israel and Iran boiled over into direct conflict.

The Gija, Yawuru and Gagudju woman described the experience of bunkering down in a bomb shelter amidst missile attacks launched from Iran in response to earlier strikes from Israeli forces.

"I'm with 11 other Australians, including several First Nations brothers and sisters," Peris said during the early hours of the morning.

"The past 24 hours have been deeply confronting – we spent the early hours of yesterday in a bomb shelter, and much of today there too.

"The last four to five hours have been extremely frightening and distressing. We've witnessed the unrelenting ballistic missile attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel."

Her social media post comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, following a major Israeli strike on Iran on Friday morning.

Iran launched retaliatory attacks after Israel targeted Tehran and killed several high-ranking Iranian military figures and scientists.

"There have now been three waves of missiles fired directly from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Peris added.

Peris thanked those who had sent well wishes and said she was looking forward to returning to Australia.

"We can't wait to come home," she said.

"But for now, we're safe, in bomb shelters, we're together, and our hearts are with all those living through this terror."

Peris left Australia on June 5, and last week met Israeli president Isaac Herzog in the city of Haifa.

The 54-year-old was one of four global recipients of the Technion President's Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Fight Against Antisemitism.

"I don't do what I do for recognition, I do it to stand up for the Jewish people, who have contributed so much to Australia and the world," Peris said.

Senior members of the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are currently subject to International Criminal Court arrest warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Peris was a member of the gold medal-winning Australian women's field hockey team at the 1996 Olympic Games, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to achieve this feat.

Later, she switched to sprinting and represented her country at the 1998 Commonwealth and 2000 Olympic Games.

Note: An earlier version of this report indicated Mr Netanyahu was not in Israel at the time of the Iranian strikes, which was not correct.