Who is Hazem Shafai? Massachusetts family stuck in Gaza after the children are not allowed to cross the border into Egypt
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Hazem Shafai, of Plymouth, his wife and three children have unsuccessfully tried to leave Gaza and cross the border to Egypt five times, his brother Hani Shafai reportedly told local Boston station WCVB. The parents were approved to cross the border, but that was not the case for the children.
Hazem Shafai, 47, Sanaa Shafai, 36, and their children, Seera, 13, Yomna, 10, and Jaser, 2, had been turned away at the Rafah Crossing at the Egyptian border with Gaza multiple times.
After a breakthrough diplomatic talk allowed injured Palestinians and foreign nationals to escape the war zone, the family attempted to cross again on November 2, but "they were expected to leave the children behind,” Hani said speaking with The Boston Globe.
As a result, the family has returned to the place where they were sheltering.
Shafai family baffled at the children not being given safe passage
“Nobody is going to just leave a 2-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 13-year-old behind. These kids were born in the US, they’re citizens just like everyone else, to say ‘leave them behind’ is just inhumane,” Hani told the Globe.
"It's getting a lot more dangerous by the day, and the supplies are very limited, and the aid coming across the border is extremely limited compared to the needs that exist. So you will see a lot of tension among the people trying to feed their families and get water and food from any available resources."
He added that the family had trouble getting clean drinking water. To further worsen situations, many of them contracted the flu, and the youngest child is still running a fever. Hazen is also looking for diabetes medication which he desperately needs.
Another Massachusetts family was allowed to leave Gaza on November 2
Abood Okal and Wafaa Abuzayda safely made their way to Egypt along with their 1-year-old son.
Sammy Nabulsi, an attorney and a family friend of Okal who had been advocating for the Okal family and other US residents to be let through the crossing, told the Globe that there are two lists of people who are allowed through.
One list is maintained by US State Department officials and the other by Palestinian officials. The names of the Shafai children were absent from both, which forced the Shafai family to head back to Gaza.
The family is in touch with the US Embassy, the State Department, and congressional representatives to coordinate an exit plan, according to the Globe.