Gaza's Palestinian-Americans: Trapped, Abandoned & Striving for Hope

Amidst the bombardment of Gaza on Monday, Palestinian-Americans currently residing or visiting the region expressed their desperate attempts to escape, but have received minimal to no assistance from US Embassy officials, despite their American citizenship. Embassy authorities informed them that the only available route out of the Gaza Strip was through Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, however, reports indicated that this passage had been temporarily closed due to the ongoing bombing.

"Those U.S. citizens residing in Gaza who desire to depart and are able to do so without danger are encouraged by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to verify the current condition of the Rafah Crossing leading to Egypt," stated a security advisory issued on Monday.

Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

Oren Ziv/AP

Israel seeks to completely destroy Hamas while Gaza is suffering from a catastrophic onslaught. Embassy officials have advised Said Shaath's relative, who resides in Fresno, California and is currently involved in humanitarian work in Gaza, to head towards the Egypt border crossing if it can be done without endangering his safety.

"I'm not sure what 'safely' really means. Living in Rimal, it's extremely dangerous to travel all the way to the south Rafah terminal," he expressed. "The route is highly insecure due to the constant Israeli airstrikes, and there's a real risk of being targeted." Typically, the journey from Rimal to the Rafah crossing can take around an hour. During the call, a CNN reporter could audibly hear loud explosions from the ongoing bombardment.

Shaath exclaimed, "My house is trembling! I solemnly believe that the pillars within my dwelling are fracturing."

Lena Beseiso, a 57-year-old resident of Salt Lake City, vividly recounted the anguish of being trapped, stating, "It is painful, as if you are being jolted out of your own body, fearing that each breath you take may be your last."

Beseiso, who hadn't set foot in Gaza for over a decade, made the journey there in late March with the intention of reuniting with her husband, daughters, niece, and grandson. Disappointed and disheartened, she was confronted with limited possibilities as she continuously reached out to the US Embassy emergency lines in the hopes of finding assistance for their evacuation.

"After numerous attempts, we managed to get through to someone. We begged for their aid, with my daughters nearly in tears," she recounted. Regrettably, the woman on the other end of the line expressed her inability to provide any help, Beseiso further explained.

"She continued to apologize, stating that they had not been informed or provided with any information to offer assistance," Beseiso shared. "Persistently, she emphasized that the emergency line was exclusively for Israel."

Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday, October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Six-month-old Sama Alwadia was pulled out from the debris in Gaza City on October 9. Despite managing to survive the initial attack, the infant tragically succumbed to her injuries during medical care.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

Oren Ziv/AP

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank on October 9.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.

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Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

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Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Ramez Mahmoud/AP

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon, Israel, after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

Fatima Shbair/AP

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on Sunday, October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.

Oded Balilty/AP

An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis, Gaza, that was destroyed by Israeli air strikes on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Ahmad Hasballah/Getty Images

Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli air strikes on October 7.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.

Baz Ratner/AP

Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.

Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed

A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.

Itai Ron/Reuters

Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Hadas Parush/Reuters

Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza

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CNN's attempts to reach the US Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday evening were redirected to their branch office in Tel Aviv. A representative from that office informed CNN that they were instructed to refrain from commenting further beyond what was already available on the embassy's website.

A spokesperson from the State Department stated, "We are actively monitoring the evolving security situation and advise US citizens to refer to travel.state.gov, the department's website, for any necessary assistance."

Abdulla Okal, a 34-year-old resident of New Jersey, is witnessing the unfolding drama from his family's residence. In an interview with CNN, he disclosed that his wife, Haneen, and their three young children (aged 8, 2, and 2 months), all of whom are American citizens, are currently stranded in Gaza.

"To be honest, I am at a loss for what to do," confessed Okal. "This is the first time my wife and children are far away from me, and it is no ordinary conflict; it is a genuine war."

Okal's wife reached out to the US Embassy on Saturday and was provided with a link to complete an application form. They informed her to await a call back. Okal mentioned that she called again on Monday after not receiving any response, and was informed that they would not be able to assist her promptly but would keep her updated. According to her husband, she hasn't received any further communication.

Okal is feeling desperate and expresses concern about his family's journey to the last remaining crossing in Rafah. He describes it as a frightening experience, mentioning the high level of danger involved. According to him, the route is filled with bombed areas and large holes, making it impossible for cars to navigate.

Deborah and Shlomi Matias were killed by Hamas gunmen. Their son, Rotem, survived the attack.

courtesy Ilan Troen

Some of the Americans killed in Israel include a brave mother who protected her son from gunmen and an academic known for advocating peace. The State Department has consistently cautioned against traveling to Gaza due to the presence of terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict.

The National Security Council spokesperson informed CNN that the US government is not currently assessing the option of conducting an emergency evacuation for American citizens in Israel. President Joe Biden declared on Monday that the State Department is offering consular aid and regular security advisories to keep Americans informed about the developing situation. However, he specified that individuals will be responsible for arranging their own travel arrangements to depart from the country.

"For those who desire to leave, commercial flights and ground options are still available," Biden said.