Rabia Iclal Turan
October 16, 2024•Update: October 16, 2024
WASHINGTON
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged the Biden administration on Tuesday to demand Israel halt attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp after an American’s family was killed in repeated airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian American man from the state of Virginia, who was not identified, informed CAIR that his family’s home was bombed Monday in an Israeli attack in Gaza, according to a statement from the civil rights group.
The house in the camp reportedly had 15 people at the time, including seven children. Among them was the man’s mother, a permanent resident of the US.
After an initial strike, the mother and several family members were injured and alive, but trapped beneath the rubble. The family reportedly contacted Israeli authorities with the location and GPS coordinates of the house to facilitate the safe passage of an ambulance, said CAIR.
Despite the information, however, the Israeli military allegedly bombed the home a second time.
The ambulance that arrived to help the survivors was also reportedly targeted, resulting in the deaths of a responding doctor and several children. Only a 7-year-old boy survived the attack, according to CAIR.
CAIR said it reached out to the White House and the State Department to share details of the attack, emphasizing that the mother of an American was among those killed. It has not received a response.
A State Department spokesperson told Anadolu that they were aware of the "reports of the death of an individual in Gaza" but did not provide additional details.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. Out of respect for the family, we have no further comment at this time," the spokesperson added.
Local sources, meanwhile, reported Tuesday that Israeli forces targeted several areas including Khan Younis, the Nuseirat refugee camp and the Jabalia camp in Gaza.
Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people during the last year.
