American soldier's mother and uncle are smuggled out of Gaza in secret military operation
An American soldier's mother and uncle were smuggled out of Gaza in a secret military operation after they were left hiding in a building with no food and drinking sewer water to survive.
Zahra Sckak, 44, and her brother-in-law, Farid Sukaik, both American citizens were safely rescued from Gaza Sunday night, a U.S. official confirmed to the Associated Press under the condition of anonymity.
The covert operation was coordinated by the United States, Israel , Egypt , the U.S. official said on Wednedsay.
The secret military operation that involved the U.S. citizen and her family member from Gaza is the only known operation of its kind since the Israel-Hamas war began, the U.S. official added.
'The United States played solely a liaison and coordinating role between the Sckak family and the governments of Israel and Egypt,' the official said.
Sckak's husband, Abedalla Sckak, was unable to be saved when the building they were fleeing from was hit by an airstrike last month, killing him.
One of the couple's three sons, 24-year-old Spec. Ragi A. Sckak, serves as an infantryman in the U.S. military.
It remains unclear the condition of Sckack and Sukaik's health at this time.
There were few immediate details of the on-the-ground operation.
The official said the extraction involved the Israeli military and local Israeli officials who oversee Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and there was no sign American officials were on the ground in Gaza.
During the early days of the war, more than half of its residents escaped into Egypt through the Rafah crossing out of northern and central Gaza, but for the mother-of-three, she was trapped in the region as intense combat continued.
Sckack and Sukaik were pinned down in a building that was surrounded by Hamas fighters with barely any food and only sewage water to drink.
The grim conditions were revealed by a family member, a group of U.S.-based lawyers, and U.S.-based citizen groups, who advocated for their release.
Members from the Sckack family appealed several times to Congress and the Biden administration before their release this week.
Before the release of his mother and family member, Fadi Sckak, a Palestinian-American appeared on ABC News issued a plea for his loved ones release.
He spoke of the limited contact he has with his mother and said she has to go to the roof of the building just to get reception. He spoke of how afraid she is.
He also said his uncle suffers from a severe cardiac condition that requires surgery.
'I worry every waking moment for my mother's safety and can't bear to lose her. I already lost my father to this conflict.'
More than 300 United States citizens remain in Gaza, according to latest figures from The State Department.
As the humanitarian crisis escalates, and combat intensifies in the region making it nearly impossible for many still left behind to get to Egypt's border crossing out of Gaza.
Sunday will mark three months since Hamas infiltrated parts of Southern Israel during the massacre of 1,200 people and 240 taken hostage.
Since the unprovoked attack, Israel has aggressively countered with daily Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting to eliminate all of Hamas and the release of the remaining hostages.
More than 100 hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire but approximately 129 remain in captivity.
The vast majority of people who have made it out of northern and central Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt fled south in the initial weeks of the war. An escape from the heart of the Palestinian territory through intense combat has become far more perilous and difficult since.
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A bit of good news for Americans, but there are still well over 100 hostages still held by Hamas and Islamic Jihid some being Americans.
that is good news, but after 3 months of captivity I wonder just how many hostages still live...
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The article states 129, but who really knows at this point?
I doubt many made it very long alive. Not with these animals.
Sadly that is probably true, if Hamas even knows where they are since Islamic Jihid has some of the hostages. And the survivors are going to require a lot of therapy after some of the stories that they have told about the time they were hostages.
the 10/7 terrorists have run out of any human trading material of PR value. at some point a dead hostage will be less damaging to the terrorists than a living hostage that can describe the horrors endured during 3 months of captivity, and that point has probably passed. the majority of any remaining hostages that are still living will more than likely be rescued by the IDF from now on.
That is a good point and I think that that is what is happening right now with Hamas and the hostages.
I suspect that will be especially true for female hostages.
Outstanding!
it sure is.
I didn't think that Zahra Sckak or her broth-in-law where hostages. I think that they were part of the 300 American citizens or permanent residents stuck in Gaza after the war started.
They weren't hostages in the sense that Hamas or IJ held them, they were just trapped by the circumstances the IDF impose on Gaza.
Correct
That's it SP.
Yes, that is what it was.
During the early days of the war, more than half of its residents escaped into Egypt through the Rafah crossing out of northern and central Gaza,
WTF?
This is very unclear. Poorly written.
First of all, the way I read that, it states (implies?) that more than half of Gaza residents escaped Gaza during the early days of the war, I find that hard to believe that that many escaped (or am I reading it incorrectly?).
Secondly:
During the early days of the war, more than half of its residents escaped into Egypt through the Rafah crossing out of northern and central Gaza,
That seems to be saying that they escaped through the Rafah crossing in northern central Gaza. In fact the Rafah crossing is at the extreme Southern border of Gaza.
And finally: if memory serves, it seems that after the first few days of the war it seems that every day there were articles about how many Gazans traveled South to escape the heavy fighting (which was initially in the North)...but they were frustrated because when they reached the Southern border and the crossing their (Rafah)-- Egypt wouldn't let many through the crossing into Egypt.
It's not written well but they were not hostages of Hamas in the true sense of the word, they were hiding for those 3 months and sadly the father was killed when he and his wife and an uncle tried to escape a building that was bombed.
That is correct, Krish the implied number cannot be correct.
The best thing is that a US solider got his mom and uncle back alive even though he lost his father.
One seemingly satisfactory solution will not occur-- that would be for Egypt to open the border and let out anyone who wants to leave.
ideally they could set up a huge tent city near the border (on the Egyptian side). At least they would be safe from the war.
Then, gradually, they could find countries that would accept them (there are something like 21 Arab countries alone-- over 50 Muslim countries). So at least some of them would hopefully show compassion towards them..in a manner similar to what Israel does for Jewish refugees fleeing war and terrorism worldwide.
Egypt is not a wealthy country. And one issue that might be raised is the cost of this idea. However there are several oil rich Arab states who are obscenely wealthy--- this entire operaton's cost would be "pocket change" for them.
The problem with that is in your third paragraph. ''hopefully'' some might find a home but I doubt that most would. Many Arab/Muslim countries have large populations of Palestinians.
With all the talk coming out of Israel on relocating them the President said today that that is NOT what they are planning or would they support it.
Egypt is not a wealthy country. And one issue that might be raised is the cost of this idea. However there are several oil rich Arab states who are obscenely wealthy--- this entire operaton's cost would be "pocket change" for them.
If i remember correctly, SA proposed something similar to that with a number of countries pitching in to rebuild Gaza for the Palestinians without Hamas.
I was not referring to whether or not they were actually hostages. Rather, this part surprised me:
During the early days of the war, more than half of its residents escaped into Egypt through the Rafah crossing out of northern and central Gaza.
What I find hard to believe is the article's statement that more than half of Gaza's population escaped to Egypt.
Hamas will never let that happen.
I don’t believe that at all.
IMO, that is nothing but propaganda half of Gaza's population would 1.2 to 1.5 million people.
The only Gazaens that went to Egypt were less than 100 seriously wounded that I'm aware of.
Exactly, they are professional and multigenerational refugees.
Drinking sewer water???
I hope they got them hooked up to IV drips right away with industrial strength anti-biotics
you know what astronauts drink, right?
yeah...but that was filtered then run thru an UV light
I was thinking the same. I hope they don't end up really sick from that.
I think that they were provided some easy methods to distill the water for safer consumption.