The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative invites you to a virtual panel on Friday, January 19, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm ET. The discussion will provide a firsthand account of the extraordinary rescue operation led by a dedicated group of veterans from the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) that successfully evacuated the mother and uncle of an active-duty Palestinian-American US Army soldier from Gaza amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Over two weeks, volunteers specialized in humanitarian evacuations from the special operations and intelligence communities meticulously coordinated with various entities, including the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, U.S. Embassy Teams in Jerusalem and Cairo, the Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Office of the Secretary of the United States Army, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, the Government of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces, and the Government of Egypt.