A Medway household trapped in Gaza for a few month managed to depart the battle zone this morning by way of a border crossing with Egypt, a household lawyer stated, ending what they’ve described as a harrowing expertise.
Attorney Sammy Nabulsi stated Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda, and their one-year-old son Yousef Okal, departed Gaza by way of the Rafah Crossing shortly after 5:30 a.m. native time and are within the technique of being transported to Cairo by United States Consular Affairs.
“The Okal family is overwhelmed with the love and support they have received from home and abroad, but they are also exhausted, physically and emotionally drained, and have a long journey ahead of them back to the United States,” Nabulsi stated in an announcement.
The household was in Gaza for a two-week journey to go to Abuzayda’s mother and father when Hamas stormed into Israel and killed civilians in a terrorist assault that has since triggered an awesome army response from Israel, together with relentless airstrikes and a floor invasion.
Okal, Abuzayda, and their son had been sheltering in Southern Gaza, the place Israeli officers declared “safe zones” and advised residents to evacuate upfront of a floor assault.
But in repeated messages to Nabulsi shared with the media, Okal stated airstrikes had been hitting areas solely lots of of toes away from the place they had been sheltering.
It just isn’t clear when the household will make it again to Medway however Nabulsi stated they’re asking for “privacy until they safely return to their home,” the speedy and secure departure of the remaining U.S. residents in Gaza, and “compassion and prayers for the innocent civilians in Gaza who gave them shelter.”
“The Okal family expresses its deepest gratitude to their family and friends around the world, the Medway community, the media for sharing their plight and the plight of the hundreds of other Americans trapped in Gaza, their elected officials who fought hard for their return, and the State Department for providing them with safe departure,” the household stated in an announcement.
Hundreds of international passport-holders, largely Palestinian nationals but additionally some foreigners, critically wounded folks, and a few support group staffers additionally managed to depart Gaza Wednesday.
But confusion was nonetheless prevalent on the Rafah Crossing as Hamas authorities had been calling names over a loudspeaker to cross into Egypt. Hundreds of people that had braved Israeli air raids to flock to the Egyptian border discovered themselves stranded after the roll-call ended.
There are hundreds of international passport holders caught within the Gaza Strip, together with an estimated 400 Americans who need out. A extensively shared Google spreadsheet outlining only a few hundred names of these cleared for departure Wednesday raised much more questions.
The checklist included residents from a handful of European international locations in addition to Australia, Japan and Indonesia. There had been no Americans or Canadians, however the U.S. State Department later confirmed that a couple of U.S. residents had managed to cross.
Materials from the Associated Press had been used on this report.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”