As bombs rained down on Gaza Monday, Palestinian-Americans visiting or living there said they were desperately trying to find ways out of the region but have received little or no support from US Embassy officials, even though they are US citizens.
They said they were told by the embassy that routes out of the Gaza Strip had been narrowed down to one: A passage though Egypt\u2019s Sinai Peninsula, which reportedly had been closed for a period of time Monday because of bombing.
\u201cU.S. citizens in Gaza who wish to leave and can do so safely are advised to check the status of the Rafah Crossing into Egypt,\u201d the US Embassy in Jerusalem said in a security alert on Monday.
Said Shaath, 64, of Fresno, California, who is currently working in the humanitarian sector in Gaza, said embassy officials told one of his cousins to make his way to the Egypt border crossing if he could do so safely.
\u201cI don\u2019t know what \u2018safely\u2019 means? We are living in Rimal, it\u2019s very risky to drive all the way to south Rafah terminal,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not secure because along the way there is a chance that you will be targeted,\u201d given the constant barrage of Israeli airstrikes. Under normal circumstances, the drive from Rimal to the Rafah crossing can take up to an hour.
A CNN reporter on the phone with Shaath could hear loud explosions from the bombardment throughout the call.
\u201cMy house is shaking. I swear to God the pillars in my house are cracking,\u201d Shaath said.
Lena Beseiso, 57, of Salt Lake City described the terror of being trapped: \u201cIt hurts, you jump out of your skin thinking this is the last breath.\u201d
Beseiso \u2013 who had not been to Gaza in 12 years \u2013 traveled there in late March to visit and spend time with her husband, daughters, niece, and grandson. She too is frustrated by the lack of options given by the US government after repeatedly calling the US Embassy emergency lines to seek help evacuating.
\u201cWhen we finally got somebody on the phone, we were pleading. (My daughters) were practically crying saying they needed their assistance,\u201d she said. A woman on the line said she could not help them, Beseiso added.
\u201cShe just kept saying, \u2018Sorry, we were not notified to help you, we were not given any information to assist you,\u2019\u201d Beseiso said. \u201cShe kept on telling the girls this emergency line is for Israel.\u201d
CNN\u2019s calls to the US Embassy in Jerusalem Monday evening were directed to the branch office in Tel Aviv. A person who answered there told CNN they were advised not to comment beyond what was published on the embassy website.
\u201cWe continue to closely monitor the dynamic security situation,\u201d a State Department spokesperson told CNN, referring US citizens to the department\u2019s website, travel.state.gov, for assistance.
Abdulla Okal, 34, is watching the drama unfold from his family\u2019s home in New Jersey. His wife Haneen and their three young children \u2013 ages 8, 2 and 2 months, all of whom are US citizens \u2013 are currently stuck in Gaza, he told CNN.
\u201cI don\u2019t know what to do to be honest,\u201d Okal said. \u201cThis is the first time my wife and my kids are far from me, and it\u2019s war, it\u2019s a real war.\u201d
Okal said his wife called the US Embassy on Saturday, and they gave her a link to fill out an application form and told her to wait for a call back. She called again Monday after not hearing back, Okal said, and was told that they wouldn\u2019t be able to help her soon but that they would keep her posted.
She hasn\u2019t heard anything else, her husband said.
Okal is desperate and says the thought of his family traveling to the last remaining crossing in Rafah is scary: \u201cIt\u2019s really dangerous, you\u2019re going from the north all the way to the south \u2026 the routes are bombed, there are huge holes, the cars can\u2019t even drive on it.\u201d
The State Department has long warned Americans against travel to Gaza \u201cdue to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict.\u201d
The US government is not \u201cactively considering\u201d emergency evacuation of US citizens in Israel, a spokesperson for the National Security Council told CNN.
In a statement Monday, President Joe Biden said the State Department is providing consular assistance and updated security alerts to keep Americans apprised of the situation as it evolves, but that Americans would need to arrange their own travel plans to leave the country.
\u201cFor those who desire to leave, commercial flights and ground options are still available,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n