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.