An overdue reunion became a nightmare for this American family now trapped in Gaza
Israel is intensifying air strikes on Gaza after the weekend's surprise air, land and sea attack by Hamas, in which militants killed 1,300 Israelis and took some 150 as hostages.
Israel has retaliated by putting the Gaza Strip under siege, cutting off access to food, water, fuel and electricity for its 2.3 million residents. It's also carrying out heavy bombardments across the territory, killing at least 1,350 people and internally displacing hundreds of thousands of others.
People in Gaza can't leave, since the borders are sealed. The Rafah border crossing, the only path into Egypt, is closed after being hit by multiple Israeli strikes. That also means that outside aid, as well as basic necessities, can't get in.
The Biden administration is urging Israel — publicly and privately — to get humanitarian supplies into Gaza. It's also trying to secure the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, which include an unknown number of Americans.
A senior U.S. official told NPR that it's also working to get approximately 400-600 U.S. citizens out of Gaza, where roughly 100 of them have contacted the embassy for help.
One of them is Wafaa Abuzayda, who is with her family including her one-year-old son.
The 30-year-old grew up in Gaza, but hadn't been back since moving to the U.S. seven years ago. Abuzayda and her husband, who is American, had gone back and forth about when exactly to visit.
"We changed our tickets like three to four times ... and then we decided to come to Gaza at this time," she said. "And our short vacation just turned into a nightmare."
For all the latest developments on this story, listen live to Morning Edition now.
U.S. citizens are trapped in Gaza and Israel
Abuzayda, her husband Abood and their one-and-a-half year old son Yousef traveled from Massachusetts for what was supposed to be a two-week trip. They don't know when they'll be able to go home — and not for lack of trying.
Abuzayda told Morning Edition's Leila Fadel that she called the U.S. embassy for help multiple times a day starting immediately after the attack on Saturday. But they told her repeatedly that they didn't have any updates. Then she tried the embassy in Cairo, to no avail.
"We tell them we're running out of milk, diapers, we're not safe, we're citizens — they're not doing anything," she said. "And in the meantime they keep posting stuff about the U.S. citizens in Israel. Every five minutes they keep reminding the people in Israel to get out of Israel."
At least 22 U.S. citizens died in the fighting in Israel and at least 17 others are unaccounted for, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
And there are many others struggling to leave, since major U.S. airlines have halted flights in and out of the country. The total number is unknown, but New York Rep. Mike Lawler said his district alone has "hundreds of constituents in Israel trying to get home."
The U.S. increased the travel advisory for Israel and the West Bank on Wednesday to level three, or "reconsider travel." The advisory for Gaza remains at level four, "do not travel."
The State Department warns that it's unable to provide "routine or emergency services" to U.S. citizens in Gaza, since U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there. Right now no one can get in or out.
Abuzayda, who is staying at her parents' house with other relatives, said her sister-in-law and her three kids had tried to cross the Rafah border, but they had to turn back after it came under an Israeli airstrike.
The U.S. is in discussions about a humanitarian corridor
Nowhere in Gaza is safe from bombardment, Abuzayda said.
There is no electricity. Families are using generators sparingly if they have fuel left — Abuzayda says she can only charge her phone for several hours at a time every few days. The sporadic access to communication means they could lose their connection to the outside world at any moment.
She said it's not safe inside or outside. The markets themselves are running low on supplies. She's trying to make the most of the milk and diapers she has left — and keep Yousef not only safe but in good spirits.
"The hardest feeling ever is to hide your fear and show the opposite, just to keep my son positive," she said. "Because he doesn't understand anything, he thinks this is a fireworks. And every time I tell him, while I'm crying, 'okay mommy, clap clap this is a fireworks, it's nothing.' Sometimes he will jump, he will be scared and freaking out if I'm not next to him."
Abuzayda is holding out hope that officials will make a safe path for civilians to leave Gaza through the Rafah border and into Egypt.
The Biden administration is discussing the prospect with Egypt and Israel, but had not made any progress as of Wednesday.
When asked what she wants the U.S. government to hear, Abuzayda made an emotional plea over the airwaves.
"Please, please save us," she said, her voice strained. "Please. I have a one-and-a-half year old, I got him after six times of IVF ... We have been trying to call the embassy since Saturday. Nobody's helping, nobody's getting back to us. Please save us."
For all the latest developments on this story, listen live to Morning Edition now.
The broadcast interview was edited by Nina Kravinsky.
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Transcript
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
A senior U.S. official tells NPR the U.S. is working to get several hundred U.S. citizens out of Gaza, which is currently sealed off. Israel is keeping basic supplies out of the area, including food, fuel and water. This comes as Israel has intensified its airstrikes on the area, where, so far, in six days of declared war, more than 1,350 Palestinians have been killed.
Our co-host Leila Fadel is following developments from Jerusalem, and she is with us now.
LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.
MARTIN: OK. So, Leila, overnight and this morning, you have been talking to people in Gaza. Tell us what's happening.
FADEL: Yeah. Well, there's no electricity, spotty communication. It's really hard to get in touch with people. Our own NPR producer's running out of battery there. Two million people in Gaza are under siege. There's no flow of fuel, food and water, and there's no way to get in and out. This is a humanitarian crisis, Michel.
MARTIN: So we estimate that - what? - about 400 to 600 Americans are trapped in Gaza right now?
FADEL: Yeah, that's right. And I actually spoke to one of those Americans, Wafaa Abuzayda, who's stuck there with her American husband and her 1-year-old. She works in the nonprofit sector, lives in Massachusetts. They were on a two-week trip to Gaza to visit her family there, and it was supposed to be a short vacation. Then this war broke out, and it's turned into a nightmare. She's trapped in Gaza.
Is there any way for you to get out? Have you been able to get in touch with the U.S. embassy?
WAFAA ABUZAYDA: Oh, yeah, for sure. We called them immediately after we heard there was a war. Like, the first couple of hours, like I said already, we called them, like, immediately. In the morning, after we heard everything, they said, we don't have any updates, blah, blah, blah. On the second day, we called. The third day, we called. And then we decided, OK, the embassy in Jerusalem - they are not helping at all. Let's change the embassy. So we called the embassy in Cairo. They're not helping at all. They're not doing anything. We tell them, we're running out of milk, diapers. We're not safe. We're citizens. They're not doing anything. And in the meantime, they keep posting stuff about, like, the U.S. citizen in Israel. Every five minutes, they keep reminding the people in the Israel to get out of Israel.
FADEL: Are you in a place that is under bombardment?
ABUZAYDA: Oh, yeah, for sure. Any - like, any place in Gaza - it's not safe. You know, yesterday, it was, like, a horrible night. We couldn't sleep at all.
FADEL: And where are you right now? Were you able to stay in your house? Are you in a shelter?
ABUZAYDA: No, we - no shelters in Gaza. The shelters - for the people in the - work in the U.N. Like, I'm staying with my family house with my dad and mom.
FADEL: And what's the situation? You said you're running out of diapers and running out of food. You have no internet. Do you have power?
ABUZAYDA: Power? When we have electricity, which is electricity - we got it from other sources for 1 to 2 hours. The first thing I do, I charge my phone because I don't want to - lost connections with other people.
FADEL: Oh, my gosh. How's your baby?
ABUZAYDA: You know what's the hardest feeling? The hardest feeling ever is to hide your fear and show the opposite just to keep my son positive and full of energy because he doesn't understand anything. He thinks this is a fireworks. And every time I tell him, while I'm crying, OK, Mommy, clap, clap. This is a fireworks.
FADEL: Oh.
ABUZAYDA: It's nothing. But sometimes he will - when - he will jump. Like, he will, like, be, like, scared and freaking out if I'm not next to him. I don't know. I don't know what to say. I don't know. I'm sorry.
FADEL: I'm so sorry. What's his name?
ABUZAYDA: His name is Yousef (ph).
FADEL: You said you're running out of diapers?
ABUZAYDA: Yes, we're running out of diapers. We can't go out. And even all the markets - they're running because they closed all the borders - where they're going to get the diapers and the milk and the food.
FADEL: So you're running out of milk, too, for him and formula?
ABUZAYDA: Yeah. Yeah.
FADEL: Are there other - do you know of other Americans in Gaza right now?
ABUZAYDA: Yeah, my sister-in-law and three kids. She got bombed yesterday while - two days ago, while she was crossing through Rafah border.
FADEL: And that was when the airstrikes hit the border crossing.
ABUZAYDA: Yeah, when she - when it was bombed, she was there. She was inside. She was inside. They tried to cross it by themself, but she couldn't. They closed it, and they turned them back.
FADEL: You have millions of people listening to you. Say what you want the world to hear, what you want the U.S. government to hear.
ABUZAYDA: Please, please save us. Please. I have a 1-1/2-year - I got him after 6 months of IVF. Please save us. Please. I have nothing to say. I have nothing. Please save us. We have been trying to go back every day since Saturday. Nobody's helping. Nobody's getting back to us. Please save us.
MARTIN: That's Wafaa Abuzubayda. She and her family are among the hundreds of Americans currently trapped in Gaza. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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