U.S. Serviceman's Family Rescued from Gaza in Unique Operation

Mother and uncle of U.S. infantryman extracted in secret operation amid ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Zahra Sckak, 44, and her American brother-in-law, Farid Sukaik, were rescued from Gaza on New Year’s Eve in a secret operation coordinated by the U.S., Israel, Egypt and others.
The operation is the only known of its kind to extract American citizens and their close family members during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Sckak’s husband, Abedalla Sckak, was shot and killed earlier in the war as the family fled from a building hit by an airstrike.
One of Sckak's three American sons, Spec. Ragi A. Sckak, 24, serves as an infantryman in the U.S. military.
The State Department estimates that about 300 American citizens, legal permanent residents and their immediate family members remain in Gaza, at risk from ground fighting, airstrikes and worsening conditions.