A British school teacher trapped in Gaza has said she feels “insignificant” after she was sent a sad face emoji by a Foreign Office official who said there was nothing more they could do.
Zaynab Wandawi, 29, has been in Gaza for more than three weeks with 10 relatives, having travelled before the latest conflict began on October 7, but she cannot leave via the Rafah border into Egypt.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Wandawi said a Foreign Office official sent her a sad face, alongside the message, “I really don't understand why they are taking so long” in correspondence about the border crossing.
She shared messages in which an official asks if she has access to food and water, to which she replied that supplies were running scarce.
The official replied: “I'm really sorry, we are really trying to get people out of Gaza through the Rafah border but we aren't hearing anything about when it will open but we are doing our best to push them to open it.”
Ms Wandawi, who is from Manchester, told the broadcaster: “I was really angry because each day that we're still here there's a higher chance we'll never get out. It's very scary, there are a lot of deaths. I don't want to go into a lot of detail over the phone but it's devastating.
“I've never witnessed anything like this in my life, it's disgusting and not safe.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said it was doing all it can to get Britons out of Gaza, saying it was keeping in constant contact with them about the status of the Rafah crossing.
It came as a senior UN official said “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions”.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the handful of convoys" allowed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt in recent days “is nothing compared to the needs of over 2 million people trapped in Gaza".
“The system in place to allow aid into Gaza is geared to fail unless there is political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful, matching the unprecedented humanitarian needs,” he said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for ‘pauses’ to the fighting in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to safely reach those without food, water or medicine, and for civilians including Britons to be able to leave.
However, the Government has declined to back a total ceasefire citing Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "As the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have said the safety of British nationals remains our top priority.
"We are working closely with Egypt and Israel to ensure all British nationals can exit via the Rafah crossing or other routes as quickly as possible. Intensive diplomacy has been ongoing over the weekend – including with Israel and Egypt.”
