Chicago area native and family safe in Egypt after escaping Gaza through Rafah border crossing

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An Elgin native and her family, who have been trapped in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, are now safe in Egypt.

Emily Rauschenberger and her family are relieved, safe in a hotel in Cairo, after weeks trapped in Gaza amid the war between Hamas and Israel.

"The hardest struggle is over, and yet at the same time, you can't feel elation or super-happiness because you just left all the people that were helping you survive," she said.

Rauschenberger, along with her British husband and their five children, spoke with ABC7 from their hotel room following nearly a month of trying to flee Gaza after visiting to see her husband's family.

"And then, on October 7th, we were woken up by all these rockets in the sky. And, it sounded like it was just whizzing by our house. It was so loud," she said.

As the exodus to Egypt from Gaza continues for many, including dozens of Americans, hundreds of Palestinian supporters in Bridgeview and downtown Chicago boarded buses headed for Washington D.C. to rally with thousands Saturday to call for a ceasefire.

"The least we can do is support them by putting pressure on our government, our politicians," said Ghada Morrar.

As more people escape Gaza, hundreds of others are still being held captive by Hamas. A powerful display of an empty Shabbat table in Skokie symbolize the more than 200 hostages who are unable to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath with their families.

Rauschenberger said she hopes she and her family can return to the United Kingdom by Sunday and eventually plan to see her relatives in the Chicago area.