Dr. Ahlia Kattan should already be back in California with her three young children.
Instead, he spends his days and nights at the European Gaza Hospital, on the outskirts of Rafah.
Kattan, an anesthesiologist and critical care specialist, is one of at least 22 American doctors trapped in Gaza after an Israeli military offensive in Rafah last week closed the city's critical border crossing with Egypt. Until then, Rafah had served as the only entry and exit point for foreign aid workers entering and leaving Gaza.
“My kids have already been texting me today saying, 'You said Tuesday you were going to be home,'” Kattan told CNN. “The WHO (World Health Organization) is trying to negotiate a safe exit for us. And that is not happening.”
The crossing has been closed since the Israeli army took it over early last week. Israeli and Egyptian officials have so far failed to reach an agreement to reopen it, instead blaming each other for its continued closure. Meanwhile, dozens of foreign doctors are trapped in Gaza, while others are unable to enter as humanitarian conditions worsen inside the besieged enclave.
FAJR Scientific, the US-based nonprofit that brought Kattan and 16 other doctors to Gaza, is now calling on the US government to help coordinate the team's safe departure from Gaza. They were to leave on Monday.
At least one member of the team needs to be evacuated for medical reasons, said Mosab Nasser, executive director of the organization, which is also in Gaza. The 17 doctors include 12 US citizens, three UK citizens, one Omani and one Egyptian.
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