DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Livonia family that had been trapped in the Gaza Strip for the last month has returned home to metro Detroit.
In September, Zakaria Alarayshi and his wife Laila traveled back to their homeland of Gaza to visit family members including their adult son and grandchildren. They say about a week into their vacation, Hamas launched the surprise attack on Israel. They say they were quickly trapped in the middle of a war zone on the Gaza Strip when Israel began returning fire.
"When I go to sleep, we cannot sleep. Maybe I’ll sleep in the chair like 30 minutes a day. We cannot sleep. Every minute we count, the bomb is coming to us," Zakaria Alarayshi said as he shared his story at a press conference in Dearborn Wednesday. "It’s nobody safe in Gaza."
After weeks of desperate pleas to legislators and the U.S. Embassy and working with the Arab Civil Rights League in Dearborn, the family was able to return to metro Detroit Tuesday afternoon.
"When we watch TV, we see the bombings and houses come down with the people inside. We can’t do nothing. We just crying about these people. We can’t do nothing," Zakaria Alarayshi described. "We're thinking next minute we’re going to be like him too."
The family says after their own home back in Gaza was bombed, they began seeking shelter with a random Palestinian family where nearly 30 people were confined to one home. They say there were many days where they had just one small piece of cake to eat and tea. They say there was no water, electricity or access to essential medications.
"I can’t understand how in this day and age when people are supposed to have learned lessons from history, how we find it acceptable to provide collective punishment to innocent civilians and think we’re doing a duty," said Lisa Alarayshi, who is the daughter-in-law of Zakaria and Laila.
The family thanked the ACRL and Congresswoman Rashida Tliab, who they say worked tirelessly making calls and filing lawsuits to get them to safety.
"The work is far from over. Many U.S. citizens remain trapped in Gaza enduring dire circumstances including life-threatening medical conditions such as gastrointestinal issues, respiratory issues, diabetes and many more while also lacking essential resources," Mariam Charara with the ACRL said.
The Alarayshis say they wanted to share their story to underscore the importance of U.S. legislators acting to save civilian lives as their own family and many others remain in the war zone.
"My house, it got bombed. I have no house anymore. I have a daughter and son and kids. I want to get them out to be here with me. I don’t want to leave them alone. No house to live," Zakaria Alarayshi said. "I’m happy to be here, but my mind is back home with my kids and my family. I don’t know if in an hour (my son's) going to die or be alive."
The ACRL says the evacuation process needs to be streamlined not only for Americans but for Palestinian civilians who are dying by the thousands.
"I’m asking our Secretary of Defense and our Secretary of State to do more — do more. There’s still hundreds of United States citizens stuck in the hell hole of Gaza. We’re asking to do more. I wish I could take all innocent people out of Gaza, but we can’t. We do what we can with the powers that we have," ACRL founder Nabih Ayad said.
As a part of their efforts to get the Alarayshi family home, the ACRLfiled a lawsuit back in October on 14th Amendment grounds. The organization alleged Americans in Israel were being evacuated while Americans in Palestine were not given the same protection.
The ACRL says now that Zakaria and Laila Alarayshi have returned, they have voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in the Eastern District. However, they say multiple lawsuits are still pending from more than 50 attorneys across the country, as hundreds more Americans remain trapped in the war zone.
The ACRL has established a hotline for others in need of help. Any U.S. citizen trapped in Gaza is urged to reach out to the hotline at 1-888-806-3822.
