some of his friends and family# members in the last two months.
On November 19, he himself was detained# by Israeli forces on his way to the Ra border as he tried to evacuate Gaza with# his family, and was released only after## international outrage.
He's now in Cairo# with his wife and three kids and joined## me earlier to talk about what he left behind# and what the future holds for his homeland.
Mosab, welcome to the "NewsHour."
Thank you so much for joining MO SAB ABU TOHA, Award-Winning AMNA NAWAZ: Take us back, if so you and your family were trying to# evacuate, headed down to the Rafah border.## You were stopped by Israeli forces.
What did# they tell you about why you were detained?
MOSAB ABU TOHA: Well, I was# taking the Salah al-Din Street,## the street that should have been safe# passage fo the northern part of Gaza to the# southern part of the Gaza Strip.
And on the way, there was a line,# and there's Israeli soldiers.
There## was an Israeli soldier calling people by# description.
So when it came to me, "The young man with a black pack -- backpack# and with a red-haired boy, put the boy down and## drop all your things and come join the line.# There were about six snipers aiming at me."
So I put the boy down, I dropped everything, and# then I joined the line of the people.
And then I## was undressed in front of a jeep behind a# wall.
Everything was confiscated from me,## including my -- all of the passports.
And# then I was blindfolded and handcuffed.
Later,## I knew that I was taken to Be'er# Sheva about two hours away from Gaza,## and without knowing anything, without having# the blindfold or the handcuffs removed.
So, we spent -- I spent personally# about 50 hours without seeing anything,## without being able to remove -- to move my hands.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mosab, you were taken, we know,# to a detention center as you say.
You were kept there for two days.
What was that treatment like?
And, at any# point, did anyone say wh MOSAB ABU TOHA: Well, they first accused me of# being a Hamas activist.
I was beaten very hard.
I was slapped across the face.
I# asked them if they have any proof.## And he slapped me across the face.
He said:# "You give me proof that you are Th en they didn't have any evidence.
I# asked them if they have a photograph,## a video, a satellite, anything that shows# that that's what they are saying is correct.
But it turned out to be that they were# just taking me.
And they knew who I was,## because my son was -- is an American# citizen, and we are his family.
So the## names that were listed on the Rafah# Border Crossing were cleared by the## Israelis.
They were just taking me to# just treat me as bad as they could.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mosab, were you# alone during this whole time?
MOSAB ABU TOHA: No.
et cetera, there were about at# least 70 to 100 people.
And then,## when we were taken to Be'er Sheva, in that# detention center, there were about 116 people.
And then, the next day, on Monday, I mean,# I heard that there were new people.
And the## soldiers next door were making fun of the# detainees.
They were asking them to repeat## Arabic children's songs.
My wife told me that# she used my phone, which she kept with her.
She used my phone to contact# my friends, friends from CNN,## friends from "The New Yorker," The# Washington Post, The New York Times.## Every one of them wrote about my kidnap,# and they asked for my safe release.
And## I would like here to thank everyone who# helped me get out as soon as possible.
And I ask everyone in the world to# work very hard to get everyone out.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mosab, we are speaking today# as the home you left behind is virtually## unrecognizable.
And it's now at the grim# milestone of over 20,000 people killed.
What is it like for you to hear that number?
MOSAB ABU TOHA: I can't believe what# I see.
I can't believe what So I'm now here in Cairo, unable to# do anything to protect m the fact that I was unable to do anything# while I was in Gaza, and now I'm also again## helpless to do anything to help and support# my family in Gaza, is very, very devastating.
It's really very hard.
With each# step I took outside of Gaza,## I knew that I was kilometers# away from my family in Gaza.
AMNA NAWAZ: I know you have lost dear# friends and neighbors in this war so## far.
You posted a video of you reading# part of a poem by one of those friends,## a man named Refaat Alareer, a# very famous poet and essayist.
The poem is called: "If I Must Die."
Here's# a clip of you reading part of that poe MOSAB ABU TOHA: "If I must die,# you must live to tell my story,## to sell my things.
If I must die,# let it bring hope.
Let it be a tale."
AMNA NAWAZ: So, Mosab, Gaza's# storytellers are among those## who are dying, poets and essayists# and photographers and What's the impact of that?
MOSAB ABU TOHA: Well, the impact tha neither they are Gazans or# international journalists.
They want to kill people in Gaza, and# they don't want the people to de what happened.
So they want just to bury# the story and bury the people with it,## which is, I think, the worst crime# that could happen in history.
AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, Israeli# officials, and I have to say,## Israelis I have spoken with say they cannot# ha ving lived through those October 7 Hamas# attacks, and they want to see Hamas gone.
How does this end?
What do you see ahead?
MOSAB ABU TOHA: I think they# can be true about sa but I would like to say to them and to the whole# I mean, in Gaza, in the West Bank, Palestinians# in the diaspora, they have been unable to live## at all.
We need to live a decent life, just like# the one they are trying to have after killing us.
AMNA NAWAZ: I know, when you left,# you were fleeing with really just## what you could carry.
And I wonder# what it is you bro MOSAB ABU TOHA: Well, I brought my wife with me,## my three children, and a# co one -- only one copy.
I lost every book that# I was trying t Every time I traveled to the United States --# I went there three times.
Every time I went,## I went -- I came back to Gaza# with dozens of English books,## especially ones signed by friends, author# friends.
But now, when I got out of Gaza,## I only had one copy of my book, which I --# which was published last year in San Francisco.
And I only got out only with my clothes.
AMNA NAWAZ: You're in Cairo now.
What's next# for you and your family?
Whe MOSAB ABU TOHA: Well, I have three# options.
One is going to the United## States, which is something that# I'm not willing to do right now, because my family and also my wife's# family are still in mort Any moment, we can hear about something bad# from them, just like I learned today about## the death of, like, a very close friend of mine# who used to be a farmer and a very excellent## soccer player.
The second option is being here in# Cairo for a job opportunity.
And the third one,## which I hope will happen soon, is returning# to Gaza and reuniting with my family.
And, hopefully, we are not# going to miss any one of them.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mosab Abu Toha,# joining us tonight from Cairo.
Mosab, thank you so much for your time.
We're## thinking about you and your# fa MOSAB ABU TOHA: Thank you so much for having me.