“Incredibly thankful” Massachusetts family returns home to Medway after escaping Gaza

By MIKE TOOLE

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — An American family trapped in Gaza for nearly a month is now back home in Massachusetts. The Okals landed at Logan Airport in Boston Monday and are now “safe and sound at home in Medway,” a spokesperson said.

Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda, and their one-year-old son Yousef were visiting family when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. They tried for weeks to escape as Israel attacked Gaza. They safely crossed the border into Egypt last Thursday, November 2.

“The Okal Family continues to be incredibly thankful for their family and friends around the world who spoke up on their behalf, 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,” Sammy Nebulsi, a spokesperson for the family, said in a statement.

“Their thoughts continue to be with their family, including both Abood and Wafaa’s parents, and the other innocent civilians who are still in Gaza, who may not have the same opportunity they had to leave and who continue to suffer from hunger, dehydration, lack of access to fuel and medicine, and intensifying air strikes.”

A family from Plymouth that was stuck in Gaza crossed the border into Egypt Monday.

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