Palestinians sue US over failure to evacuate American citizens from Gaza
Lawsuit alleges State Dept. discriminated against Palestinian-Americans by ‘abandoning’ them in Gaza, not making same effort US has made in Lebanon, Afghanistan and other war zones

WASHINGTON — Nine Palestinian Americans sued the United States government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza after the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7 2023, and Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas.
The lawsuit accuses the State Department of discriminating against Americans of Palestinian origin by abandoning them in a war zone and not making the same effort that it would to promptly evacuate and protect Americans of different origins in similar situations.
It was the second case against the US government this week after Palestinian families sued the US State Department on Tuesday over Washington’s support for Israel’s military.
A US State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation, while adding the safety and security of American citizens around the world is a “top priority.”
Thursday’s lawsuit was announced by advocacy group, Council on American Islamic Relations, and attorney Maria Kari, and was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The suit alleges the plaintiffs’ rights to equal protection under the US Constitution has been violated by depriving them “of the normal and typical evacuation efforts the federal government extends to Americans who are not Palestinians.”

It mentions comparable instances of the US government evacuating its citizens from conflict zones such as in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan, and names President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as defendants.
The State Department spokesperson said the US has evacuated Americans from unsafe areas around the world, including Gaza.
The war was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 251 hostages.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 45,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it has killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.