The family of a San Carlos doctor said she is trapped in Gaza, unable to get back home.
Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami left on a medical mission two weeks ago and was supposed to be on her way back.
But after Israel closed the Rafah crossing, communication with her has been limited.
Then, on Monday morning, they received a text from her saying she’s OK.
But they worry about when she may be able to come back home.
Ahmad Sheikholeslami said his sister always wanted to help others – so when she got the opportunity to go to Gaza – she took it.
“I felt she really felt compelled, when she saw the suffering of the children and the people of Palestine, to do something more,” Ahmad Sheikholeslami said.
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Haleh is a doctor at Sutter Health in San Carlos. Ahmad said she left at the end of April and during the first week, she would send him a message every day.
“We’d get a text in terms of ‘everything is OK, I'm starting to do my work, I've seen children' and so on, so that reassured us that you know, she was OK,” Ahmad said.
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But then last week, after Israel seized the Rafah crossing, that changed.
“There was a lot of internet blackouts and we for a couple of days, did not hear from her,” Ahmad said. “When we lost contact we were like that's not a good sign and hearing the news with the increasing bombings and incursions and death toll, we started to become really worried.”
NBC News reported on Friday that dozens of American medical volunteers were trapped inside Gaza after Israeli forces took over the Rafah crossing preventing people from getting out.
On Monday, Ahmad got one message saying she was OK but said they were waiting for the border to open. She urged people to reach out to their local representatives.
With the work she's done in Gaza, Ahmad says he’s proud of her but also worries for her safety.
“We have to end this war, and we have to ensure that the people who are sacrificing to try to help others are also safe in this process,” he said.
