An American stuck in Gaza

As Israeli missile strikes whistled and exploded around him in Gaza City – rattling his family’s home and demolishing a vegetable market, a neighbor’s house, a supermarket – Yaser Betar thought of his wife and four children back in North Texas.

Betar, 50, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was visiting relatives when the Israeli offensive against Hamas began, trapping him in his native city. He was one of about 1,000 people who found themselves in Gaza searching for clean drinking water, food, fuel and shelter amid the bombardment. For 27 days, he moved from house to house, trying to flee the territory as explosives rained down.

As Israel gets closer to an invasion of Gaza City, Betar was lucky: He managed to flee Gaza and reunited with his family in Denton, Texas, late Saturday. His story serves as a reminder of the frantic effort to extract U.S. citizens from the combat zone.

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Hi, I'm Nicole. We're navigating a deeply difficult time in the world. Acknowledging negative emotions, identifying triggers and setting boundaries is important. If you'd like to receive this weekday update about the conflict in the Middle East, sign up here.