TAMPA -- In the past few weeks, Americans killed by Hamas during its initial attack on Israel, or taken hostage into Gaza have been a major concern for the US government. Tampa has also been a hub for efforts by private groups and the state of Florida to get Americans back home from Israel, now a nation at war.
The Florida chapter of a Muslim rights organization asserts the State Department hasn't been doing enough to bring home another group with ties to this country: the estimated six hundred or so U.S. citizens residing in Gaza who are now stuck there.
The Council on American Islamic Relations says it has heard from dozens of families trying to get relatives out of Gaza. CAIR says most are unwilling to speak publicly because they fear being targeted.
One woman spoke at the news conference in Tampa Thursday. Hana Elnagar says she hasn't heard from her five children, all under twelve, since the war began. She said she reached out to the State Department and was told to call them if she heard anything.
Imam Abdullah Jaber with CAIR's Florida chapter called it "outrageous and unacceptable" that the U.S. isn't doing more to get Palestinians-Americans out of Gaza, given its support for Israel.
The U.S. has been telling American citizens in Gaza to go to the Rafa crossing with Egypt.
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