'I feel like I'm dead'
Sohail Biary was visiting family in Gaza when Israel’s military campaign in the region ensued after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The Ventura County, California, resident was trapped in Gaza for a month, watching bombs drop as he tried repeatedly to find a way out. He finally crossed the Gaza-Egypt border and traveled back to the United States in November.
Biary feels guilty about his return from Gaza. His father was killed in the violence. Other family members are displaced or missing amid Israel's bombardment. Biary struggles to feel comfortable with everyday basics he has in the U.S., such as food, running water and electricity. With much of his family still in Gaza, the war is "not in the past" for him.
“I died a thousand times every day," he said. "I feel like I'm dead. Even now, when I'm back here in my home, I wake up in the morning and I feel like I'm not alive."