"A Palestinian woman whose son serves in the U.S. Navy was secretly evacuated from war-torn Gaza in recent weeks after an intervention by the Trump administration and the Israeli and Jordanian governments, according to people familiar with the matter and correspondence reviewed by The Washington Post. The operation, entailing a coordinated pause in Israeli military strikes to safeguard the woman's movements, illustrates the extreme difficulty of orchestrating a legal exit from Gaza without resources and influence."
"For Ahlam Firwana, 59, the escape to safety required$10,000 in donated transportation costs, sophisticated software to monitor her movements amid the Israeli military's ongoing assault, and the direct involvement of senior U.S. officials who helped secure agreements from the governments of Jordan and Israel to facilitate the woman's departure from Gaza. Firwana's son, Navy Petty Officer Younis Firwana, 32, joined the military in 2023 seeking a path to U.S. citizenship. After the Gaza war began that October, his mother and six siblings faced ever-increasing danger and privation, he recalled in an interview."
"The evacuation of U.S. citizens from Gazahas been a contentiousissue since the war beganafter Hamas militants staged a deadly, coordinated attackin Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinian Americans and their families have complained since then that the United States was not doing enough to ensure the safe exit of U.S.citizens from Gaza, with some suing the Biden administration in December."
Ahlam Firwana, 59, was secretly evacuated from Gaza following intervention by the Trump administration and Israeli and Jordanian governments. The operation required a coordinated pause in Israeli military strikes, $10,000 in donated transportation costs, specialized software to monitor movements, and senior U.S. officials securing agreements with Jordan and Israel. Her son, Navy Petty Officer Younis Firwana, joined the U.S. Navy in 2023 seeking citizenship while his family experienced bombardment, loss of their seven-story home in 2024, and severe shortages of food and medicine. Evacuations of U.S. citizens from Gaza have been contentious and led some families to sue the U.S. government.
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