'I just want my daughter home': The agonising wait for loved ones to cross the Rafah border
Chaos at the Rafah crossing has left relatives in the UK distressed as they await news on their loved ones, ITV News' Lucy Watson reports
Relatives of British nationals waiting to pass through the Rafah border out of Gaza face an agonising wait, with one mum pleading "I just want my daughter home."
Lalah Ali-Faten's daughter, Zaynab Al-Wandawi, is waiting in the south of the Strip close to the crossing, along with her husband and 10 other family members.
Two days before the conflict broke out, Mrs Al-Wandawi travelled to Gaza from Manchester for a wedding, unaware of the inconceivable hardship that awaited her.
Surrounded by death and destruction, she now spends her days making desperate calls on social media for help escaping, all while reassuring her UK-based mum of her safety.
On Tuesday - ahead of the crossing's intermittent opening - Mrs Ali-Faten spoke to ITV Granada and described her daughters growing frustration over not being able to leave the territory.
"She is getting very anxious and is feeling quite despondent really and upset because she feels like not enough is being done to get British nationals out," she said.
A day after the interview, scores of people piled through the metal gates separating Gaza from Egypt, marking the first opening since the enclave was besieged by Israel more than three weeks ago.
Hundreds of foreign nationals hauled suitcases as they fled, while injured Palestinians were rushed to Egyptian hospitals for urgent medical treatment.
But Mrs Al-Wandawi wasn't among those selected to travel into Egypt, leaving her mum begging for her safe return.
Speaking to ITV News, she cried: "I just want my daughter home, there's no bomb shelters, there are no safe zones, they are very vulnerable."
Each person allowed to cross was pre-approved following consultation between Egypt and Israel, with embassies from the individuals' respective countries being informed in advance.
But with the border only open for limited periods and the list of names tightly restricted, thousands of dual-nationals are believed to remain in Gaza.
Around 200 Britons in Gaza have registered with the authorities, and along with their dependents, the total number the UK is trying to secure passage for is thought to be in the low hundreds.
Emilee Rauschenberger, an American evacuee, was forced to leave behind her British husband to escape with her five children.
"We wanted to wait for him, for the British list, but we really needed to just take our opportunity to leave. My kids became very stressed because they don't see an end to the bombing," she told ITV News.
President Joe Biden confirmed 74 US nationals were permitted to pass into Egypt from Gaza on Thursday.
The Foreign Office said more UK nationals were able to make it into Egypt on Thursday after two UK aid workers managed to flee Gaza a day earlier, but declined to say how many.
The UK has a Border Force team in Cairo, with consular officials in Arish, near Rafah, to provide support for Britons who leave Gaza.
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