Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Thursday a city employee who was trapped in Gaza for weeks has escaped.
The employee, a 53-year-old man who worked for the General Services Division, had been visiting his mother, Mayor Bass told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener in an exclusive interview.
“He had been in northern Gaza visiting his mother and when he was told to evacuate, he evacuated to the south, got to Rafah, but wasn't able to cross the border,” she said.
She added that she called both the State Department and the White House, and spoke with Tom Perez, senior adviser to President Biden.
“We did whatever we could do,” she said. “We certainly pushed. We were very worried. He was a long-term employee in the general services division and just an excellent employee beloved by his co-workers and his son was scared to death that he wasn't going to be able to make it out.”
Bass said it’s unclear when the employee will return to the United States, adding that he was in Cairo as of Thursday.
Hundreds of people with foreign passports have been allowed to leave Gaza to Egypt since Wednesday. Many of those people are Americans looking to escape the war zone.
"He came here with nothing and started a life here," Khalid Biary told the Star of his father, saying the elder Biary had sought asylum in the U.S. 30 years ago and settled in Simi Valley.
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