Posted on Oct 27, 2023
Americans in Gaza feel abandoned by their government
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/27/ [login to see] /americans-in-gaza-feel-abandoned-by-their-government
In the first few days of the war between Israel and Hamas, American mother and Massachusetts resident Wafaa Abuzayda spoke to Morning Edition from Gaza with a plea to the US government. "Please, save us," she said.
More than two weeks into the war, she, her husband and their one-year-old baby are still trapped in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
They are among an estimated 600 U.S. citizens trapped in the Gaza Strip, along with more than a thousand others who hold European passports. They're trapped alongside more than 2.3 million Palestinians who don't hold foreign passports. All of them live under constant Israeli bombardment with no way to escape.
In the first few days of the war between Israel and Hamas, American mother and Massachusetts resident Wafaa Abuzayda spoke to Morning Edition from Gaza with a plea to the US government. "Please, save us," she said.
More than two weeks into the war, she, her husband and their one-year-old baby are still trapped in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
They are among an estimated 600 U.S. citizens trapped in the Gaza Strip, along with more than a thousand others who hold European passports. They're trapped alongside more than 2.3 million Palestinians who don't hold foreign passports. All of them live under constant Israeli bombardment with no way to escape.
Americans in Gaza feel abandoned by their government
Posted from npr.org
Palestine
Israel
Posted 6 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."On Thursday, Abuzayda and Okal got another message from the State Department, telling them the department was continuing its work to get them out and get more humanitarian aid in. But they had no update on when the Rafah crossing might open for them.
To send Morning Edition his latest round of voice messages, Okal stood in an open field. It is the only place he can find cell reception, and even this act is a risk. His wife and other family members are afraid he will be targeted, misidentified as a militant.
"Even making a phone call is becoming extremely dangerous," Okal said.
Meanwhile, Abuzayda and Okal are looking for ways to distract Yousef from the wrath of war. Okal said a kitten showed up at their doorstep on Wednesday, just after a round of airstrikes hit 800 or 900 feet from their house, they estimate.
One-year-old Yousef Okal hugs the kitten that showed up on his family's doorstep in Rafah, where the family has been waiting to escape Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
/ Abood Okal
/
Abood Okal
One-year-old Yousef Okal hugs the kitten that showed up on his family's doorstep in Rafah, where the family has been waiting to escape Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
They took the kitten in and called it Milka, after Yousef's favorite chocolate. Yousef loves animals – the family has a dog back home in Medway, Massachusetts named Lily. Okal said the kitten calmed the baby after the panic of the nearby airstrike.
"It's almost like angels are looking after us," Okal said. "We hope they continue to do so."
The radio version of this story was produced by Nina Kravinsky. The digital version was edited by Treye Green."
..."On Thursday, Abuzayda and Okal got another message from the State Department, telling them the department was continuing its work to get them out and get more humanitarian aid in. But they had no update on when the Rafah crossing might open for them.
To send Morning Edition his latest round of voice messages, Okal stood in an open field. It is the only place he can find cell reception, and even this act is a risk. His wife and other family members are afraid he will be targeted, misidentified as a militant.
"Even making a phone call is becoming extremely dangerous," Okal said.
Meanwhile, Abuzayda and Okal are looking for ways to distract Yousef from the wrath of war. Okal said a kitten showed up at their doorstep on Wednesday, just after a round of airstrikes hit 800 or 900 feet from their house, they estimate.
One-year-old Yousef Okal hugs the kitten that showed up on his family's doorstep in Rafah, where the family has been waiting to escape Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
/ Abood Okal
/
Abood Okal
One-year-old Yousef Okal hugs the kitten that showed up on his family's doorstep in Rafah, where the family has been waiting to escape Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
They took the kitten in and called it Milka, after Yousef's favorite chocolate. Yousef loves animals – the family has a dog back home in Medway, Massachusetts named Lily. Okal said the kitten calmed the baby after the panic of the nearby airstrike.
"It's almost like angels are looking after us," Okal said. "We hope they continue to do so."
The radio version of this story was produced by Nina Kravinsky. The digital version was edited by Treye Green."
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