Trapped in Gaza: Family, friends fear for Simi man's safety
Sohail Biary is trapped in a war zone.
The 53-year-old Simi Valley man journeyed a month ago to his hometown of Gaza City to see his mother, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and his father who is in his 80s. It was their first reunion in many years. Biary planned to stay three weeks and escort his sister to her wedding in Egypt before flying home from Cairo.
“Then Oct. 7 happened,” said his son Khalid Biary, an airline pilot based in Henderson, Nevada.
Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel declared war and began strikes that have killed thousands of Palestinians and left parts of the Gaza Strip in ruins.
The borders remain closed. Sohail Biary and hundreds of other U.S. citizens can’t find a way out. He has told his son the bombings are growing worse. Because of constant power outages, he charges his phone on car batteries, sending out texts when he can. He struggles to find food. He and his sister have journeyed to Rafah in hopes of crossing the border into Egypt.
Family and friends fear for his life.
"All he asks for is for us to pray for him," said Zeyad Elalami, another immigrant from Gaza who lives in Simi.
Khalid Biary has reached out to the U.S. Department of State for help. He said he was told three times to tell his father to go to the Egyptian border. Sohail Biary followed the instructions, waiting for hours, U.S. passport in hand. The region was bombed on two of the trips, ending any chance of escape. He was turned back the third time, too.
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The state department has advised U.S. citizens to do what they to can to find safety in Gaza, Khalid Biary said, noting the advice frustrates and alarms him. He doesn't think there is any safe place.
“I can’t explain the feeling of not knowing whether my dad is alive or not,” he said, noting the situation grows more desperate.
“They have run out of food,” Khalid said in a text. “The stores are empty and they have depleted all the car batteries. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to text him.”
State department officials said in an email they can’t say how many Americans are still in Gaza because of safety and security considerations, also citing the “fluid and quickly evolving situation.” They said efforts to open the Egyptian border for Americans continue.
“Our teams have been communicating 24/7 with U.S. citizens and providing them assistance,” they said, citing thousands of phone calls and emails to the people in need and family members.
Some people contend not enough is being done. Rody Rafeh of Simi Valley reached out to the state department and U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, asking for help for Biary and others like him.
“These are all Americans. They should be taken care of,” Rafeh said. “How can we let someone like that just sit out here. They’re just sitting there watching bombs fall around them. They’re starving.”
Naela Elshorafa, 66, of Camarillo, is also trapped in Gaza. She went to the region before the war to visit her sick mother and tried to leave on Oct. 10. Nabil Alshurafa, her son, said she was 10 minutes from crossing into Egypt and safety, her passport stamped by Palestinian authorities, when Israeli bombing made the border inoperable.
“Ten minutes!” he said in a phone call Friday. “Can you imagine what I’m dealing with right now? Just get my mom home.”
He said his mother, a U.S. citizen, is now living in a home near Rafah with 47 other people. She has no food, no water, no cellphone connection.
Alshurafa said he has decided to pursue a lawsuit against the state department. He said his family also reached out to Brownley and others for help in getting his mother to safety. In a statement Thursday, the congresswoman said she has been in repeated contact with the state department.
"I have been adamant and made it abundantly clear that the Biden administration must do everything possible to protect all U.S. citizens," she said. "While I’m not happy that there are still Americans stuck in Gaza, I believe President Biden is working diligently to address the situation during a very complex, volatile and fluid situation."
Despite the efforts, both county residents remained in Gaza as of Friday. It's a region Sohail Biary left some 30 years ago to seek asylum in America. He landed in Simi.
"He came here with nothing and started a life here," said Khalid Biary, the eldest of four children with the youngest just 1. Trained as an electrician, Sohail Biary works as a district supervisor for the city of Los Angeles' general services department.
His son's frustrations and worries grow as the days pass. He said he doesn't know who else to contact.
“There is no next step. There is nothing," he said. "We just sit here and wait for the state department’s instruction.”
USA Today contributed to this report.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: No way out: Simi Valley man trapped in war-ravaged Gaza Strip
