GRETNA, La. — Video shows the terrifying moment Israeli soldiers forced 46-year-old Samaher Esmail out of her home and into military vehicles.
Esmail lives with her family in Gretna, but was visiting family in Palestine when she was taken into custody.
Her son, Ibrahim Hamed is in disbelief.
“It feels heartbreaking,” Hamed said.
Just hours before, he says he was on the phone with his mother. He asked her to come home early to meet his one-month baby girl, the first grandchild in the family.
“It’s something new, and I would have loved for her to be there with me in that time,” Hamed said.
Now, he’s living a nightmare, saying IDF soldiers surrounded her home, raided her belongings, and stomped on her prayer mat before taking her away, leaving nothing but muddy boot prints.
“It’s very stressful. I don’t know how to eat, I don’t know how to stand, and I don’t know how to sleep,” Hamed said.
He doesn’t have answers, but he says his mother was suing the IDF for attacking her in 2022, and her court date was coming up.
“You don’t know what’s next. You don’t know what kind of news you’re going to find,” Hamed said.
And the constant news has hit hard for the Palestinian community here in New Orleans.
“It’s scary to me,” Palestinian advocate Mo Abdel said.
Just weeks ago, New Orleans teenager Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was also killed in Palestine. Now, it’s been over 48 hours since Ibrahim has heard from his mother, and he says he’s frustrated the state department hasn’t taken immediate action.
Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter said he’s been in contact with those departments and will, “Get to the bottom of why she’s being held.”
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