Medway family returns home after being trapped in Gaza

A Massachusetts family trapped in Gaza for weeks because of the war between Israel and Hamas has returned to their home in Medway.

Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda and their 1-year-old son Yousef arrived at Boston's Logan airport Monday. They left Gaza Thursday when they were finally permitted to cross the border into Egypt after multiple attempts.

Boston attorney Sammy Nubulsi, a family friend who had worked to help them escape Gaza, greeted them at the airport and said the family wants privacy for the next 24 hours.

"The Okal family continues to be incredibly thankful for their family and friends around the world who spoke up on their behalf, for the Medway community, the media for sharing their plight and the plight of the hundreds of other Americans trapped in Gaza," Nabulsi said in a statement.

Nabulsi said the family's thoughts are with the other civilians, including their parents, who are still trapped in Gaza. The statement said the family will tell their story "when they are ready."

Okal works at Bristol Myers Squibb in Cambridge. Abuzayda formerly worked for the nonprofit More Than Words, which helps disadvantaged youth.

They had been visiting family in Gaza when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct.7. They were originally scheduled to leave Gaza on Oct. 13.

The family fled to southern Gaza when Israel ordered civilians to evacuate the northern part of the enclave in preparation for a ground assault. Despite several attempts to get through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, they were not permitted across until Nov. 2, the day after the crossing opened to some foreign nationals trapped in Gaza.

In a series of audio messages throughout the ordeal, Okal described the dire conditions in Gaza under bombardment by the Israeli military, including a lack of food, fuel and water. He would often end the messages expressing optimism that the family would survive another day and said hope was helping them get through it.

"That's the only way for us to keep going," Okal said in an audio message on Oct. 28. "Because if we lose that hope or if we believe otherwise we could end up in a very dark space psychologically. So we're trying to stay strong and we're trying to live another day."

Medway officials say they are organizing a welcome home celebration for the family.