US works with Israel and Egypt to get the mother and uncle of an American soldier out of Gaza

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has coordinated with Israel, Egypt and others in rescuing the mother of a U.S. serviceman and her American brother-in-law who were pinned down during heavy fighting in Gaza City. News of the rescue, in the only known operation of its kind, came Wednesday from a U.S. official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm the rescue, which had been kept quiet for security reasons. The official said Zahra Sckak made it out of Gaza on New Year’s Eve, along with her brother-in-law. Her husband had been shot earlier as the family fled from a building hit by an airstrike. He died days later. One of her three American sons is an Army infantryman.