Fathers away from home fear for family members stuck in Gaza as war rages: "I am sick with worry"
Until the bloody Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas led Israel to declare war, many Palestinians routinely traveled from Gaza to Israel every day.
About 110,000 people in the territory would cross the border daily, but now, thousands of those workers are trapped outside of Gaza in places like the West Bank, while their families are unable to leave the war zone.
The United Nations estimates that more than 45% of housing in Gaza is damaged or destroyed. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health has said that more than 10,000 people are dead, and a State Department official recently told Congress that while it will only know the true death toll once the fighting stops, it's possible the number is even higher.
While some Palestinians in Israel don't even know if their families are alive, Salah Abu Musalam is able to talk to his family on the phone frequently. He was in Jerusalem about to undergo a surgery, but the operation was canceled after Hamas' attacks. His wife and children remain in Gaza.
"My children are alone," Musalam said. "All I can do is scream and cry with them."
Musalam said that his wife told him she is "struggling to find food" amid Gaza's humanitarian crisis. For weeks, the territory was under a total blockade, with no food, water, fuel or medical aid allowed to enter. Now, some aid trucks have begun to get in, but it's only a fraction of what used to enter the territory. Israel has agreed to daily, four-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting in northern Gaza, the White House confirmed Thursday, but Israel reiterated there would be no cease-fire without the release of hostages.
"I am sick with worry," Musalam said.
Some have received heartbreaking news while away from home. Ameer Al Ashii was working in Israel when Hamas attacked. He said he was arrested and beaten by Israeli soldiers before being brought to Ramallah. When he finally heard from his family, he learned that his 5-month-old daughter Aseel was dead. His said his wife is being treated for serious injuries in one of Gaza's already overburdened hospitals.
Israel has told Palestinian civilians to leave northern Gaza and accuses Hamas of using local residents as human shields, saying the group bears responsibility for civilian deaths.
"Israel is murdering our children," Ashii said. "They love their children, but we love our children just as much."
