Israeli forces have captured two American brothers and their Canadian father after an overnight raid on their home in the Gaza Strip, according to their families.
Brothers Borak Alaga, 18, and Hashem Alaga, 20, from the Chicago area, were allegedly detained by the Israel Defense Forces after soldiers entered their home in southern Gaza on Thursday morning.
My cousin Yasmin Elaga, a law student at Northwestern University, said she was among the women and children in her home when Israeli soldiers took away her two brothers, their father Ahmed, their intellectually disabled uncle, and two other male relatives. He claimed to have tied him up and blindfolded him. .
She added that the families have not been contacted since the men were taken.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem said US authorities were aware of the situation and were following up with Israeli authorities.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry and military have not commented on the incident.
The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment on the brothers’ case. Global Affairs Canada also said it was aware of the situation and was “providing consular assistance to the family.”
The Alaga brothers are among fewer than 50 Americans known to be trapped in Gaza after the Israeli-Hamas war led to the blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
As the war ravages nearly every inch of Gaza, young men and their families, numerous U.S. green card holders, and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents are attempting to flee.
The brothers and several of their relatives are said to have been included in the list of approved evacuees to cross the Egyptian border, but are still not allowed to leave the country.
A Palestinian American group in Chicago filed a lawsuit last month against the Biden administration for failing to help families evacuate.
Elaga said a total of 20 men, including members of the Alaga family, were detained by the IDF in the al-Mwasi district near Khan Yunis.
During the war, which is now in its fifth month, the IDF has rounded up scores of men in the Gaza Strip, arguing that mass detention is a necessary measure to combat Hamas.
The practice has been criticized by Palestinians, who say it is unfair to arrest civilians not affiliated with Hamas.
Israel faced backlash last month after footage of mass detentions in northern Gaza showed dozens of Palestinians in their underwear, surrounded by IDF soldiers, denouncing Hamas’ war.
Following criticism over half-naked arrests, the Israeli military has announced changes to the way it holds Palestinians captured in Gaza.
The arrest of the Alaga brothers comes days after Samahel Esmail, a 46-year-old Palestinian American, was arrested at his home in the West Bank and detained for questioning on charges of “incitement on social media.” .
Since October 7, Israel has stepped up its crackdown in the West Bank, arresting dozens of Palestinians for allegedly posting inflammatory content on social media criticizing the government and the Gaza war.
with post wire
