We, concerned citizens of the United States, urgently call upon President Biden and his administration, as well as the United States Congress to immediately prioritize the safe return of all American citizens currently trapped in besieged Gaza. American citizens should not be used as bargaining chips in foreign conflicts.

There are currently 500 to 600 American citizens stranded in besieged Gaza. These Americans are under constant bombardment and deprived access to the most basic necessities, including clean water and food. Among the hundreds of American citizens trapped in Gaza is a young family from Medway, Massachusetts. Abood Okal (36 years old), his wife Wafaa Abuzayda (30 years old), and their son Yousef Okal (1.5 year old). The Okal family were on what was supposed to be a two-week trip to Gaza but have now been trapped in this dangerous war zone and humanitarian nightmare for over a week.

At the outset of the conflict, the Okal family and other American citizens in Gaza repeatedly contacted U.S. embassies for days trying to secure a route out of Gaza to no avail. After receiving notice from the IDF to evacuate northern Gaza in 24 hours, the family traveled south. On Friday, October 13 and again on Monday, October 16, the Okal family along with other American citizens received an email from the State Department that if they wanted to leave Gaza they should make their way to the Rafah crossing for an opportunity to evacuate to Egypt. Upon arrival to the Rafah crossing on both the 13th and 16th they were informed by Egyptian guards that Egypt was unaware of any agreement and that no one was permitted to pass through the border and not a single American citizen was permitted to leave in both instances. American citizens, including Abood and Wafaa and their son Yousef, were baited by the State Department to travel to the Rafah crossing on bad information.They are running out of fuel and cannot continue traveling to and from the crossing on false hopes. 

The family and other American citizens now have no information about a viable evacuation plan out of Gaza. As the situation grows more and more dire with each passing hour, the family and other American citizens feel abandoned and disregarded by the Biden Administration and the entire U.S. government. The U.S. government has successfully evacuated hundreds of American citizens out of Israel via chartered planes and cruise ships, with evacuation efforts from Israel ongoing. Meanwhile, after numerous bungled attempts, the U.S. government has entirely failed to secure safe passage for American citizens from Gaza. 

We implore the Biden Administration and all US government officials to act swiftly and decisively. Americans must be brought home safely. We cannot allow them to be used as pawns in foreign conflicts. Time is of the essence. Bring our fellow Americans home now.