Israeli Bullets Hit Home of American Children Trapped in Gaza

CAIR Seeks 'Immediate Intervention' to Evacuate U.S. Citizens

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) reported today that Israeli bullets hit the house of two
American children trapped under bombardment by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

CAIR has been seeking State Department assistance in evacuating the two
children, ages six and three, along with all the other Americans in Gaza.
Friends of the family contacted CAIR seeking help. (Photos of the family are
available from CAIR.)

Reached by phone in Gaza, the father of the American children said bullets
fired from an Israeli tank hit the family home in Beit Hanoun on Saturday. He
said a nearby two-story home owned by his brother was destroyed today by the
Israelis. The father, who graduated from George Washington University in
Washington, D.C., said he has recently been contacted by American officials
about a possible evacuation.

In a response to a letter CAIR sent January 7 to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, the State Department said that an evacuation is being
planned this week for almost 150 American citizens and their family members
trapped in Gaza. Officials say 16 American citizens were evacuated on January
2. American sponsors are also being sought for those evacuees who may be
brought to the United States. A number of potential evacuees are non-citizen
parents of young American-born children.

"We call for the immediate intervention of the Bush administration to demand
that Israel stop its attacks on civilian areas so that all the American
citizens facing death in Gaza can be safely evacuated," said CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Each day the evacuation is delayed
means another day in which U.S. citizens might be injured or killed by
American taxpayer-funded weapons in a brutal campaign supported by our own
government."

He said citizens of many other nations, including Canada, Russia, the
Philippines, Ukraine, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Romania, and Sweden have
already been evacuated from Gaza.

Hooper noted that the death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza has topped 900,
including many women and children. In its attacks, Israel has denied access to
wounded civilians and has targeted homes, schools, mosques, universities,
medical and United Nations personnel, and a church. A leading human rights
group yesterday accused Israel of using white-phosphorus munitions in its
attacks on civilian areas.

SEE: Israel Accused of Using White Phosphorus in Gaza (Reuters)
http://tinyurl.com/8c3rbb

The United Nations' top human rights official said Friday that the Israeli
military may have committed war crimes in Gaza.

SEE: UN Human Rights Chief Accuses Israel of War Crimes
http://tinyurl.com/8u4bxj

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American
Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina
Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR National Communications Director, +1-202-488-8787,
+1-202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; Amina Rubin, CAIR Communications
Coordinator, +1-202-488-8787, arubin@cair.com