"أشعر بالعجز": الفلسطينيون - الأميركيون ينتظرون بفارغ الصبر الأخبار من عائلاتهم في غزة مع تكثيف الهجمات الإسرائيلية

Some Palestinian Americans haven’t been able to reach their family members for days.

Narmin Abushaban hasn’t spoken to her 78-year-old mother in Gaza and doesn’t know when she’ll hear her voice again.  

Abushaban, 43, lives in Michigan and has been getting updates from brief texts over WhatsApp from her siblings who lived in northern and central Gaza and are now displaced after evacuating. 

After more than a week of Israel’s bombardment of besieged Gaza, she worries for her family’s safety, especially her mother who is paralyzed and can’t move on her own. 

“When I lay down to sleep, I prepare myself to wake up to bad news,” Abushaban said. “I tell myself to prepare for the news that I may lose someone from my family; that someone may be killed.”

On Oct. 16, Abushaban woke up to the news that her uncle’s home was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza. There were 24 relatives in the building, four were confirmed dead and the rest are either injured or missing under the rubble. Abushaban, like many others with family in Gaza, said she feels anxious and full of dread as she waits for news.

Since October 7th, Israel has unleashed thousands of bombs killing more than 4,137 Palestinians across Gaza, including at least 1,524 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Israeli forces have also cut off access to water, electricity, food, supplies, and any outside aid. 

The loss of electricity in Gaza makes it difficult for Palestinians there to keep their overseas families apprised of their conditions. 

Abushaban saw videos of her uncle’s house collapsing through a family group chat where updates come in every few days but is mostly silent since charging phones and connecting to the internet is difficult. 

“We have a family group chat where whoever is able to get connected texts us and lets us know that they’re okay,” she said.

A text on Oct. 19 confirmed the deaths of more extended family members, this time Abushaban’s fathers’ cousin, and his wife and kids. Abushaban is grieving and praying that her mother and the rest of her family continue to survive.

Afnan Algharabli of Ohio also has family in Gaza and said that the only reason she’s able to call her mom is because she has an American phone that’s able to accept calls.

“Every phone call is hard because you’re just calling to make sure they’re still alive and nothing bad happened,” Algharabli said. “You don’t talk about anything else.”

Image on the left is of Afnan's mother and daughter, image in the center is of Afnan at her home in Gaza in Shejaiya, image on the right is of Afnan's daughter with her cousins at the beach in Gaza. The header image is also of Afnan's daughter with her cousins at their grandparents' house in Gaza in 2022. 

She said that her mother and husband’s family evacuated from Shejaiya, a city in northern Gaza, to the south. She said the area they are currently in does not have any water or electricity, and that they have been charging their phones using solar batteries.

“When we call them, they’re asking about the news in Gaza because they have no idea what’s happening in the other areas,” she said. “There is guilt that I’m here and they’re there. I feel helpless.”

Another Michigan resident, Samara Attalla, hasn’t heard from her great uncles and aunts since they evacuated their home in northern Gaza early Saturday, and doesn’t know where they’ve relocated to or if they’re safe.

“The communication is fickle, and it can take up to five days to hear back because they’re constantly moving to safety, and the electricity and internet has been blocked,” Attalla said.

The 29-year-old said she’s been spreading awareness on social media because she feels obligated to share her family’s story, but also has been navigating a “constant emotional tug-of-war.”

She said her grandmother, who lives in Australia, got news on Oct. 19 that some extended family members were killed, but still does not have news about her grandmothers’ siblings.

“We feel a duty to continue raising awareness about the ongoing atrocities in Palestine, to share our family's narratives, and to educate our colleagues, communities, and neighbors despite the emotional toll it takes to hear firsthand  what family members are experiencing,” Attalla said.

Abushaban said she was last in Gaza this past February, but was also there during the 2021 attacks on Gaza and the 2022 attacks where she saw the atrocities and fear with her own eyes.

“It was very hard, but there’s no comparison with what’s happening right now,” she said. “It’s horrible. My brother last told me that they’re lucky if they find bread and zaatar to eat. Right now, their biggest concern is safety.”