A BRITISH woman trapped in Gaza has claimed she was sent a sad face emoji by a Foreign Office official.
Zaynab Wandawi, 29, has been in the terrifying warzone for more than three weeks and now feels “insignificant” after pleading for help escaping the city.
Zaynab Wandawi, 29, has claimed she was sent a sad face emoji by the Foreign Office after pleading for help escaping the war torn cityPA
The teacher has been trapped in Gaza for over three weeks and feels her life could be at risk if she cant flee the city soonPA
The school teacher from Manchester was going back and forth with the British Foreign Office after arriving in the war-torn city, days before the brutal October 7, massacre.
Messages between the pair show the brave woman looking for desperate support.
On October 28, the official said: “Hi Zaynab, how are you doing for food and water?
“Do you have any injuries?”
She replied with: “We don’t have much – we barely eat and drink as there’s nothing left.
“Water is a luxury that we are not privy to.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office official then tells a worried Wandawi that the Rafah border still isn’t open and they’re not sure when it will be.
She gives a chilling response saying: “The longer we are here – the higher the chance that we will not make it to the Rafah border.
“I honestly don’t think they know how much our lives are at risk.”
Despite the clear danger Zaynab feels she’s in, the official replied with a sad face.
Zaynab claims with the face, she was also messaged: “I really don’t understand why they are taking so long.”
Wandawi spoke to Sky News a few days after the controversial message and told them she was in a “very scary and not safe” situation.
She continued: “It made me feel like they don’t even consider me a British national, it made me feel insignificant to be honest.
“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.”
The Foreign Office has reassured Brits stuck in Gaza that they’re doing “whatever we can” to help.
They also admitted to Wandawi and others that the British government “don’t have any staff in Gaza who can help practically”.
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is currently the only way to leave the Gaza strip, without crossing into Israel, by land.
The UK and US governments are pushing Israel for a pause in the bombing to get more aid in and foreign citizens out.
PM Rishi Sunak said: “We’re very keen to bring them out and bring them home.
“When the moment arises we’ll be ready to take it quickly.
“For that to happen there needs to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses.”
“Alongside aid, we also want to try and get our British nationals out of Gaza, for the hostages to be released,” Mr Sunak said.
It comes after a UK minister said British citizens trapped in Gaza could be classed a “hostages” as they’re not being allowed to leave.
The Hamas terrorist group claims to have up to 250 captives in Gaza and issued a chilling threat to execute one civilian for each Israeli airstrike unleashed without warning.
It’s feared many of the hostages – both Israeli and non-Israeli citizens – are being held in a mysterious 311-mile maze of tunnels underground.
Earlier this month, a top Hamas leader hinted they may attempt to use those it abducted as bargaining chips to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas’ diaspora office, said the group “has what it needs” to free 6,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails.
The Sun has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
Wandawi said she felt ‘insignificant’ by the lack of support she felt she was gettingPA
EPASmoke is seen billowing from the northern part of the Gaza Strip today after Israeli shelling[/caption]