Australian family trapped in Gaza face limbo as they wait for escape

Defence Minister Richard Marles has confirmed there are at least 45 known Australians stranded in war-ravaged Gaza.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has confirmed there are at least 45 known Australians stranded in Gaza.

“We have about 45 Australians who have made contact with us in Gaza. Their situation is obviously extremely difficult,” Marles said on ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.

“We are looking at ways in which and working very hard to find ways in which we can get those people to safety.”

It comes as an Australian family trapped in the Gaza Strip have been waiting near the Egyptian border crossing for three days, with no news as to when the family can cross to safety.

Palestinians with foreign passports hoping to flee to Egypt. Picture: Said Khatib / AFP

The Palestinian-Australian man, his wife and their two young children, aged seven and 10, travelled to Gaza from their home in Adelaide more than two weeks ago to visit family. It was their first trip in 12 years.

After Hamas’s brutal attack on an Israeli music festival a week ago, The Daily Telegraph revealed the family had become stuck in the blockaded territory with all borders to ­Israel and Egypt closed off.

The family, who asked not to be identified for fears over their safety, were forced to evacuate Gaza City, which is under heavy bombardment from the Israeli Defence Force.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph from Gaza over multiple days, the father-of-two said the family was stuck in limbo as they waited for the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border to open up.

An Aussie man, his wife and two kids have become trapped in Gaza after going there for a holiday and have no way to escape. picture : supplied

The crossing has been hit by multiple Israeli air strikes over the last week, prompting fears the crossing may be unsafe.

On Saturday the family received a call from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to journey to the border and from there to Egypt.

“Shortly after we got there we received another call telling us that the crossing opening plans had fallen through,” the Adelaide man said.

“Today is going disastrous – the entire north of the Gaza Strip has been told to evacuate – we have nowhere to go.”

The man is worried about his wife, who has since become very sick but there is no medical help available. They managed to find shelter with another family in a small home near the border.

“It’s relatively safer (than Gaza City), though we can still hear bombing in the background.”

The family may have a hope of escape after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday the Rafah crossing would be reopened to allow foreign nationals out of the embattled territory.

The Daily Telegraph understands the Australian government is already planning accommodation and onward travel options for Australian citizens if they can find safe passage across the border. Flights out of Egypt will be arranged in the same way as was done for those departing Tel Aviv.

The father and his wife are distressed at having to leave behind their parents in the war zone, as they will be unable to take immediate family across the border.

“We are on this emotional rollercoaster – on the one hand we want to flee to safety with our young children, but on the other hand we are deeply concerned for the lives of our parents and siblings,” he said.

While Australian/Israelis have been able to evacuate with their immediate family who are not Australian citizens, those in Gaza have not. It is understood this decision is due to Israeli and Egyptian control of the border.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told ABC News on Monday while efforts to rescue Australians in Gaza have been unsuccessful they will continue to work with the Israeli and Egyptian governments to get them home.