Family with Chicago ties flees Gaza to safety in Egypt

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A family with Chicago ties trapped in Gaza is finally out and safe in Egypt.

Emilee Rauschenberger, a former Elgin resident born and raised in Bloomington, Illinois, had been visiting Gaza with her Palestinian-born husband Mohammed and their five children when Hamas attacked Israel, setting off a war that has intensified into an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza.

After nearly four weeks stuck in war-torn Gaza, they crossed the border into Egypt on Thursday.

Friday morning, Emilee spoke to CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot about how she and her family are feeling now that they're out of Gaza.

"It's a very big mix of emotions, and really everything seems surreal at the moment," she said. "We're very relieved and happy to be out of Gaza. The stress level has gone down many notches. At the same time, it's replaced by a big pit in your stomach about all those people that are left there that don't have a passport to leave, or ability to leave. So from my mother-in-law, and all the family, and the cousins that have kept my kids sane during this whole thing; you know, all of them are still back in the apartment struggling for water, and for food, and no electricity, and bombing at night and during the day. You know, it's just such a mix of emotions, really."

Emilee was at the border between Gaza and Egypt earlier this week trying to get herself, her husband, and her children out. She tried it every day for the past several weeks.

On Thursday, her father, John Rauschenberger, finally received the call that allowed him to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Le Mignot spoke to Rauschenberger via Zoom a short time after he got that call.

"Ecstatic. Absolutely ecstatic. It's been three-plus weeks. They've been under more and more bombings with scarcity of food and drinking water. My daughter and her husband and five wonderful grandkids," Rauschenberger said.

John spent decades of his life in Chicago before moving to Florida. His daughter Emilee, her husband Mohammed, and their five children live in the United Kingdom. They had been visiting Mohammed's family in Gaza when the war began in the region.

Every day for the past several weeks, Emilee went to the crossing between Gaza and Egypt, trying to leave Gaza.

Thursday was the day the entire family made it onto a bus to a hotel in Cairo.

"She said 'Dad, it's me, Emilee. Just exited the Egyptian Customs House at the border here, and we're getting on a bus and they're taking us right to Cairo.'" Rauschenberger said. "I said, 'All seven of you got out?' She said, 'Yes Dad.'"

Word of Emilee and dozens of others getting out of Gaza spread quickly to the White House.

"Good news. We have, we got out today 74 American folks that are dual citizens. They're coming home," said President Joe Biden.

What will Rauschenberger do when he sees his grandchildren?

"Give them a 20-minute hug," he said. "You almost can't explain the emotions. It's almost like the 1985 Chicago Bears winning the Super Bowl. But this is better."

Rauschenberger plans to fly to the United Kingdom to be reunited with his family. His grandchildren can expect three suitcases full of early Christmas gifts.

Each gift was on a wish list shared with him by his grandkids.

In:
• War
• Chicago
• Israel
• Gaza Strip
• Egypt
• United Kingdom

Suzanne Le Mignot

Suzanne Le Mignot serves as CBS2 Chicago's weekend news morning anchor and weekday reporter.

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