(NewsNation) — As Israel continues its counter-strikes against Gaza, civilians are either fleeing or going into hiding, hoping to survive the attacks.
The parents of Palestinian-American Loay Elbasyouni, a U.S. space engineer living in the U.S., are among those civilians trapped in the Gaza Strip.
It has been difficult for Elbasyouni to contact his parents because the phone hasn’t been able to work. But he said he was lucky he was able to chat with them Wednesday night.
They told Elbasyouni they were OK, but the situation in Gaza has continued to worsen and there isn’t enough drinking water to go around. Elbasyouni said that any drinkable water in the city has become extremely expensive and a food shortage is also becoming a reality.
“There were even some fights that broke out at some of the food stands,” Elbasyouni said. “You have to wait for hours. Everything has become really tough.”
Elbasyouni’s 75-year-old father and 68-year-old mother currently live in Germany and have lived there for the past 12 years. The two returned to Gaza to visit and assist with humanitarian efforts because his father is a surgeon and has been providing care to those who really need it.
Now, trapped in Gaza, Elbasyouni’s parents are doing everything they can to survive. They have even made it a point to ration the phone battery so they could keep in contact with Elbasyouni.
“There is no power. They have to find a generator to charge the phone so they’d be able to talk to us,” Elbasyouni said. “Every time I talk to my mom, she makes it sound like it’s the last time they’ll talk to me.”
But that’s the reality for Elbasyouni’s parents. They aren’t sure when the next time they will talk to their son will be, or if they will survive.
“We need to stop this,” Elbasyouni said. He explained he is trying his best to advocate for a cease-fire.
Elbasyouni said he loves being an American, but right now, he doesn’t feel like the U.S. government and foreign nationals are treating him the same.
He explained that Americans with Israeli backgrounds have been evacuated and rescued by the U.S. government, but those Americans with Palestinian backgrounds or the families of American citizens in Palestine have not been assisted.
“We need to have a cease-fire. We need to allow people food and water,” Elbasyouni said. “I’ve always been against war. We need to have a voice of reason to stop and pause before taking the next step.”
