Lawsuit alleges U.S. failed to evacuate Palestinian Americans trapped in Gaza

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nine Palestinian Americans sued the U.S. government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza where Israel’s war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

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 U.S. government this week after Palestinian families sued the U.S. State Department on Tuesday over Washington’s support for Israel’s military.

A U.S. 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 filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The suit alleges the plaintiffs’ right to equal protection under the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. has evacuated Americans from unsafe areas around the world, including Gaza.

Israel’s war has killed over 45,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry while also sparking accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The military assault has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.