According to the State Department, approximately 1,300 US Arabs have been assisted in departing Gaza to evade Israel’s retaliatory attacks following the Hamas October 7 massacre, partly through coordination with Israeli and Egyptian authorities for their exit to neighboring Egypt.
However, according to American families who sued the US government in mid-December 2023, around 900 US citizens and their family members were left behind in Gaza.
Yasmeen Elagha, a law student at Northwestern University and a key plaintiff in the lawsuit, claimed that while ten of her family members, including two US citizens, received approval for evacuation from the State Department, none of them have appeared on the Exit List.
Breaking: Two Palestinian American citizens with Chicago roots were taken by Israeli soldiers in an early morning raid on their shelter in Gaza today, months after U.S. officials approved them for evacuation but have since failed to secure their exit. https://t.co/TUH0EI7MXH
— Nader Issa (@NaderDIssa) February 8, 2024
On Thursday morning, IDF forces detained two brothers from the Chicago area, Borak Alagha, 18, and Hashem Alagha, 20, together with their Canadian father in an overnight raid on their home in southern Gaza, according to their family.
Yasmeen Elagha asserted that the soldiers bound and blindfolded the women and children inside the house as they apprehended two brothers, their father Ahmed, an uncle with mental disabilities, and two other male relatives.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, stated on Thursday that the administration intends to engage in discussions with Israeli authorities regarding the reported detentions of the brothers, along with the recent arrest of an American woman by the Israeli military in Judea and Samaria earlier this week.
Kirby emphasized the importance of understanding the reasons behind these actions, stating, “We want to know more about the reasons here.” He reiterated that such matters are taken seriously by the United States, and efforts will be made to gather more information and context about the events.
The Elagha brothers are among an estimated fewer than 50 US citizens still living in Gaza.
According to the AP, the Eleghas were among some 20 individuals who were detained by the IDF in the same raid.
