- On Friday, CAIR, in collaboration with Palestinian American doctors, sent a letter to the Department of State requesting immediate U.S. government support to secure the release of 30-40 physicians stranded in Gaza.
- The U.S. government has acknowledged the situation and said it is working on the departure of these U.S. doctors “as soon as possible.” However, CAIR and Palestinian doctor groups believe that with each passing day, these doctor’s lives remain at risk due to Israeli blockade and bombing.
- Some doctors were reportedly able to evacuate today.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, today called on President Biden and the U.S. Department of State to swiftly secure the immediate evacuation of all American doctors currently trapped in Gaza due to the Israeli government’s invasion and blockade of Rafah. CAIR also called on the Biden Administration to demand that Israel end its assault on Rafah and allow the free flow of aid and travel of medical professionals.
In a statement, CAIR’s Director of Government Affairs Department, Robert S. McCaw, said:
“Families of American doctors treating patients in Gaza are living in constant fear as news of Israel’s ongoing assault on Rafah reaches them. Despite these U.S. doctors in Rafah previously declaring their mission deadlines to the Israeli government, the Israeli blockade and bombing of Rafah has trapped them in Khan Younis. This is unacceptable, and immediate action from the U.S. government is needed to ensure their safety and well-being. They need to come home today, not tomorrow, not next week.
“The only lasting solution to this crisis is for the U.S. government to demand that the Israeli government end its assault on Rafah and secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The lives of these American doctors and their Palestinian patients are at stake, and every moment counts.”
Last Friday, CAIR, working alongside Palestinian American doctors, sent a letter to the U.S. State Department urging them to take all necessary steps to secure the release and safe return of these American doctors. On Monday, U.S. Embassy Jerusalem’s American Citizen Services responded to the letter stating that:
“U.S. Embassy Jerusalem is in regular direct contact with the medical teams on the ground in Gaza, and the U.S. Government is actively engaged with the relevant authorities to facilitate the groups’ departure from Gaza as soon as possible.”
While CAIR appreciates the State Department’s work to ensure these American doctors can return home, it believes that more can be done as the situation is dire, with daily Israeli military strikes hitting residential areas in Rafah and resulting in a rising number of civilian casualties. This puts the lives of American doctors, and Palestinians, at immediate risk, and the Biden Administration should be vocally and forcefully demanding Israel not purposefully strand and kill American citizens on humanitarian mission in Gaza.
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com.