Family with Chicago ties caught in Israel-Hamas war, trapped in Gaza

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago mother, her husband and five children are trapped in Gaza, trying to escape alongside thousands of refugees after the Hamas terrorist attack and continuing war in Israel.

Long-time Chicagoan John Rauschenberger tells the I-Team his daughter, Emilee Rauschenberger, her Palestinian-born husband and their five children were in Gaza visiting their in-law relatives this past weekend when their holiday ended with war.

Israel continues to fire missiles at Hamas terror control positions across the Gaza strip, and is now amassing a major ground force at the border after last weekend's attack.

Now, the family says there is no clear path for them to get out of the area.

"You've got to do something for the Americans that, through no fault of their own, are stuck in Gaza," Rauschenberger said.

While charter flights have been arranged for American evacuees out of Israel, American officials say they are still negotiating plans for evacuees out of Gaza, including hundreds of Americans.

In the past four days, Rauschenberger said Emilee and her family have moved from one safe house to another across the region, trying to get to the Rafah border crossing and into Egypt, if Israeli officials allow them to leave.

Border crossings with Israel and Egypt have been closed, leaving hundreds of refugees stuck while passageways are negotiated with the governments of both nations.

As the missiles fall, Rauschenberger said he has appealed twice to the U.S. State Department to help evacuate his daughter and other stranded Americans in Gaza.

"When I talked to the State Department a second time, they said again, 'We still have no formal plan to exit Americans out of Gaza," Rauschenberger recounted.

In an email, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told the I-Team on Thursday, "We are discussing this with our counterparts in Israel and in Egypt and are exploring options based on the security situation on the ground and what is possible. The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas."

The State Department said U.S. citizens in need of assistance should complete a crisis intake form on their website, or call 1-833-890-9595 (toll free) or 1-606-641-0131 (U.S. local), 03-519-7426 (Israel local.)

"My biggest fear if they're not getting out is the collateral damage of the bombs or bullets," Rauschenberger said.

The grandfather of five said he's spoken to his Elgin-native daughter's older children, ages 11 and 13, trying to inspire strength in them during a difficult time.

"I told them, 'This is incredibly unfortunate. You need to stay strong," Rauschenberger said. "You need to support your mom and dad, and you need to listen to them. This is a challenge. This is a horrible situation. You need to stay strong."