Livonia couple trapped in Gaza following trip to see family

LIVONIA, Mich. (FOX 2) - The U.S. State Department says that a pair of Livonia residents will soon be on their way home after being stuck in Gaza.

Zakaria Alarayshi and his Laila went to visit family in Gaza several weeks ago and got trapped in the war-torn region. The State Department expects them to be home by the end of the weekend. 

"Life here is so bad, I can’t handle it here," Zakaria Alarayshi said. "I voted for Mr. Biden, and he is my president. He has to get me out of here.

"There is no safe place in Gaza.  We are dying every day. No medicine, no food, no water. We are sick and can’t handle it no more."

Yahya Alarayshi, the couple’s adult son, said they are both diabetic, and have high blood pressure.

"They have no medication, they have no clean water," he said. 

Daughter-in-law Lisa Alarayshi said she’s hoping for help to get them across the border.

"That’s all we need to happen."

Zakaria had been cleared to leave already, but Laila had not, so he chose not to go without her.

"Image having to stay back in a war zone when they just had the chance of freedom," said Mariam Charara, from the Arab American Civil Rights League. 

Nabih Ayad, also of the Arab American Civil Rights League, has filed a lawsuit to get the State Department to help his clients. 

"Our clients the Alarayshi family has gone six times to the border and only to be met with. ‘It's closed - you cannot leave,’" he said.

"We are happy that our brothers and sisters in our Jewish community have been evacuated and we want that - that's exactly what should happen - but at the same time - we must recognize that there are United States citizens of Palestinian descent are stuck there," Ayad said.

Activists say this isn't about just this one metro Detroit family but rather hundreds of Americans from all over the country who are still trapped in Gaza.

Zakaria Alarayshi and his wife Laila Alarayshi .