Michigan couple stuck in Gaza escapes to Egypt, family says

Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press
·3 min read
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A Livonia couple trapped in Gaza for four weeks has made it to Egypt, finally able to cross the border after being denied entry several times, according to their son and an advocacy group.

"They just left the (Gaza) border" with Egypt, the couple's son, Yahya Alarayshi, of Canton, told the Free Press by phone Friday afternoon. "They are in Egypt."

Zakaria and Laila Alarayshi, of Livonia, both U.S. citizens of Palestinian descent, were on vacation in Gaza visiting family when the Israel-Hamas conflict started Oct. 7. Six times, they tried to flee to Egypt at the Rafah border crossing, but were denied entry, family and advocates said.

Laila Alarayshi, left, and her husband, Zakaria Alarayshi, of Livonia, are trapped in Gaza with bombing around them, according to a lawsuit filed in Detroit and family members.
Laila Alarayshi, left, and her husband, Zakaria Alarayshi, of Livonia, are trapped in Gaza with bombing around them, according to a lawsuit filed in Detroit and family members.

On Thursday, family and civil rights advocates held a news conference for the second time outside the federal courthouse in Detroit pleading for the U.S. government to help.

'We want them home': Family of Michigan couple stuck in Gaza pleads for help

On Friday, they and some other Palestinian Americans were able to cross and are currently being helped by the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, Yahya Alarayshi said. The Dearborn-based Arab American Civil Rights League, which has been advocating for the release of the Alarayshis and other Palestinian Americans trapped in Gaza, also said Friday that the couple has left Gaza.

Mariam Charara, the group's executive director, said in a statement "the Alarayshi family, have successfully left the war-torn region of Gaza and are en route home to the United States. We've been working tirelessly to achieve this, and it is a moment of great relief for all involved."

Yahya Alarayshi and his wife, Lisa Alarayshi, on Nov. 2, 2023, outside federal courthouse building on Lafayette in downtown Detroit asking the U.S. government to help rescue their parents trapped in Gaza.
Yahya Alarayshi and his wife, Lisa Alarayshi, on Nov. 2, 2023, outside federal courthouse building on Lafayette in downtown Detroit asking the U.S. government to help rescue their parents trapped in Gaza.

Yahya Alarayshi said it's unclear when his parents will be able to return to Michigan. He said they're currently en route by bus to Cairo, the largest city in Egypt.

When his parents crossed the border, "people from the (U.S.) embassy were there and they took them to Cairo," he said.

'We are scared': Livonia couple trapped in Gaza pleads for help

A lawsuit was filed last month in Detroit on behalf of the couple by Nabih Ayad and James Allen, attorneys with the Arab American Civil Rights League, against the U.S. State and Defense departments alleging discrimination against Palestinian Americans by failing to help them escape the war. A similar lawsuit was filed by Ayad in 2006 alleging the U.S. did not help Lebanese Americans with U.S. citizenship who were trapped in Lebanon during its war with Israel.

Alarayshi said he's hoping the U.S. will help other Palestinian Americans stuck in Gaza as Israel continues a military campaign that has resulted in thousands of deaths in retaliation for an Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

"Hard days for the last 28 days. It was very hard," he said of the weeks spent working and waiting for their safe crossing.

Before they were able to flee, there was "bombing ... around them ... every single day for the last three and a half weeks," Yahya said earlier this week.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, Facebook.com/nwarikoo or X @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan couple escapes Gaza after being trapped for weeks