NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Fighting to keep her voice steady, Duaa Abufares, a 24-year-old Palestinian-American from Clifton, New Jersey, spoke about her father, an American citizen trapped in Northern Gaza amidst the Israel-Hamas war, during a press conference held by the Palestinian American Community Center on Monday.
"My father isn't safe," Abufares began, her voice wavering. Tears halted her address. Those around her hugged her in support and after regaining her composure, she continued, "I'm tired of our voices not being heard. We want this violence to end."
Abufares' father, Fares, had traveled to Gaza in early September, hoping to spend time with his relatives. He had plans to return by Oct. 20, but as violence escalated, he made the choice to stay with his relatives. Fares does not intend to come back.
"My life shouldn't be more valuable than a Palestinian just because I am an American citizen," he told Abufares. "I will not leave my own brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, my own mother to save my own life. If I die, I die with them."
Abufares, a college student studying psychology, said, "I need my father to stay alive. I stay up every night, praying he comes home safely."
She talked about the agonizing uncertainty of her father's situation, saying she's "always waiting to see his text, to hear his phone, to hear his voice."
Abufares hasn't been able to reach her father since last week.
After an unexpected terror attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, during which at least 1,400 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed, counterattacks from Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 2,700 Palestinians.
Israel intensively bombarded the Gaza Strip as a response leaving over 2 million Palestinians without electricity.
In response to the escalating security situation, the Biden administration organized charter flights starting Friday to transport Americans from Israel to various European locations. It's estimated by U.S. officials that between 500 to 600 Americans are currently in Gaza.
The U.S. government, as well as other countries, including Canada and Germany, have been shuttling their nationals out of Israel on charter flights. As of Monday morning, at least 30 U.S. citizens are known to have died in Israel and another 13 remained missing, the State Department said. The missing Americans are among 199 others of different nationalities, abducted by Hamas to Gaza.
Jenan Matari, another speaker whose cousins are trapped in Gaza, highlighted the challenges faced by families amidst the war.
"I was asked to tell you about their current situation but I can't do that because, in addition to cutting off access to food, water, and fuel, Israel has cut off access to their electricity. The blue checks on WhatsApp stopped appearing at 6 a.m. on Friday morning," she said, noting that Israel's actions also halted communication.
Matari shared the collective anguish felt by many in her community, "we are all experiencing grief, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, and anger."
The conference comes in the wake of a tragic hate crime in Illinois where a 6-year-old Muslim boy was killed, and his mother was severely injured by their landlord in an attack fueled by anti-Muslim sentiments and the war's global repercussions. President Joe Biden condemned the act, stating, "This horrific act of hate has no place in America."
The PACC and the Council on American Islamic Relations of New Jersey organized the press conference to address the rise in anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim bigotry in New Jersey and the broader implications of the war.
They also released a joint action plan, urging New Jersey officials to acknowledge the situation and meet with Palestinian human rights advocates.
Selaedin Maksut, Executive Director of CAIR said there was an increase in anti-Muslim hatred across New Jersey and shared alleged reports of discrimination. He cited an alleged incident of a physician whom he claimed was fired from Hackensack Hospital due to pro-Palestinian posts on social media after a colleague allegedly pressured the hospital. But Hackensack Meridian Health told 1010 WINS the physician in question is not employed by Meridian and misrepresented himself: "The physician identified himself as a Hackensack Meridian Health professor and network physician. The physician is not an employee of HMH, but rather a contractor with Envision Physician Services. We requested that the physician not report to HMH until Envision completes a full investigation."
The Meridian statement also said, "Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to individuals exercising their freedom of speech. However, we have a responsibility to our patients and team members to ensure a safe and healing environment. Several team members expressed their concern to us about the inflammatory social media post made by a contracted physician working at an HMH hospital."
Similarly, a South Asian restaurant owner allegedly found a torn Quran outside his restaurant, prompting him to seek anonymity for fear of further victimization, according to Maksut.
The New Jersey chapter of CAIR criticized New Jersey elected officials for ignoring the Palestinian people's suffering.
"In the same ways that your office expressed support for the Ukrainian people's sovereignty, resistance, and will, we ask you to do the same for Palestinians, who've lived under Israeli occupation for the better half of the last century," the statement read.
