‘Overwhelmed with love’: Medway family trapped in Gaza safely crosses into Egypt, attorney says

A family from Medway that has been trapped in the war-torn Gaza Strip is finally able to begin their journey home.

Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda, and their one-year-old son Yousef Okal were able to cross the border into Egypt at Rafah Crossing Thursday morning, the family attorney Sammy Nabulsi tells Boston 25 News. The Massachusetts family will now travel to Cairo by the United States Consular Affairs, where they will continue the process to return them stateside.

The family has been trapped in Gaza since the renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7 while they were on vacation visiting family in the region.

“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 family said in a statement.

Through voicemails provided to Boston 25, Abood chronicled the family’s struggles to provide proper care for their son and other family members. On Wednesday, Abood said he and his family had been rationing one single gallon of water among 40 relatives crammed into a single-family home in Rafah.

The family does not know when they will be able to return to the United States.

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Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda and their one-and-a-half year old son Yousef

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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