A Medway family that was trapped in Gaza for weeks as the Israel-Hamas war intensified is now back home in Massachusetts.
Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda and their 1-year-old son Yousef, who were desperate to leave the war-torn territory amid fears for their safety, arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday and are now "safe and sound at home," according to a press release on behalf of the family.
The Okal family has asked for privacy for at least the next 24 hours as they "rest, recover, and provide some sense of normalcy" for their son. "The Okal Family will tell their story when they are ready."
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The Medway 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," a family spokesperson said.
While the Okal family is relieved to be home in Medway, the statement added that their thoughts continue to be with their family, including their 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.
The family has previously told NBC10 Boston that they were just trying to live another day, sharing they were nearly out of drinking water and that it was "total mayhem" just trying to get bread from bakeries. The Okals had also shared how frustrated they were as they continued to wait for a way out of Gaza.
