A Plymouth family, stuck in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, remains inside the enclave after being informed at a border crossing that their children would not be allowed to pass through. Egypt.
Hazem Shafai, 47, Sanaa Shafai, 36, and their children, Seera, 13, Yomna, 10, and Jaser, 2, had already been turned back several times at the Rafah crossing, on the Egyptian border with Gaza , over the last few weeks. Diplomatic negotiations resulted in a breakthrough earlier this week, allowing injured Palestinians and foreign nationals to flee the war zone.
So the Shafai family went to the crossing point again on Thursday, but “they had to leave the children behind,” said Hani Shafai, Hazem’s brother. The Boston Globe.
According to Hani, the names of Hazem and Sanaa were on a list of people who would be allowed to enter Egypt, but not the names of their children. They made the decision to return to the place where they had taken refuge.
The fact that the children were unable to pass safely baffled the family.
“No one will leave behind a child of 2, 10 and 13 years old,” Hani told World. “These children were born in the United States, they are citizens like everyone else, to say ‘leave them behind’ is simply inhumane.”
Another family from Massachusetts, also with a young child, was allowed to leave Gaza Thursday morning. Medway Residents Abood Okal; his wife, Wafaa Abuzayda; and their one-year-old son are now safe in Egypt, planning a way home. One of their lawyers and family friend, Sammy Nabulsi, shared some details about how the border crossing process works. Nabulsi had pleaded for the Okal family and other U.S. residents to be allowed through.
There are two lists of people allowed to pass, Nabulsi told the World. One is maintained by U.S. State Department officials and the other by Palestinian officials. Nabulsi understands that those seeking to flee must be on both lists and that the Palestinian list is subject to frequent change.
The children’s names were apparently not on both lists, forcing the Shafai family to return to Gaza and hope that the situation would change in the future. They are in contact with the U.S. Embassy, the State Department and congressional representatives to coordinate an exit plan, the World reported.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to spiral out of control, even with a slow influx of aid from Egypt. The Okal family described staying inside for days, surviving on canned goods and, at times, salt water as bombs rained down outside.
The Shafai family also struggled to get clean water, Hani told World. Already dehydrated, their situation worsened when many of them contracted the flu last weekend. Most of them have recovered, but 2-year-old Jaser still has a fever and is vomiting. While working to care for his family, Hazem is also searching for desperately needed diabetes medication.
Palestinian officials released a list Thursday of nearly 600 people who have been authorized to leave. Reuters reported. These names were all verified by Israel, with the country apparently checking the lists to ensure no Hamas fighters escaped. Residents of Belgium, Greece, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and other countries were on the list. But many others were turned back, even though they had valid passports.
Egyptian national Ghada el-Saka told Reuters she was visiting relatives in Gaza when the war broke out. She and her daughter cried in frustration Thursday on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing after learning they could not cross.
“Why do you leave us in this destruction? We saw death with our own eyes,” she said, according to Reuters. “I want to succeed. We are not animals. I have Egyptian rights, we are Egyptian.
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