Okal family from Medway not among those allowed to leave Gaza yet for Egypt
MEDWAY - Hundreds of people trapped in war-torn Gaza were allowed to leave Wednesday and cross the border into Egypt, but a family from Massachusetts was not among them.
At least 400 American citizens are stuck in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department, including Wafaa Abuzayda and Abood Okal of Medway and their one-year-old son Yousef. They were visiting relatives when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. They've been stuck in Gaza ever since.
Sammy Nebulsi, a spokesperson for the family, told WBZ-TV the Okals were not allowed to make their way across the Rafah crossing Wednesday.
"The nationals permitted to cross were from Japan, Austria, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Australia, the Czech Republic, and Finland," he said in an email. "The United States is not on this list, and the State Department told me by e-mail last night that they have not yet confirmed departure for its citizens, including the Okal Family."
Nebulsi said Abood told him he reached out to the US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and was told there was no timeline for U.S. citizens to leave Gaza. According to CBS News, five Americans who work for non-governmental organizations were allowed into Egypt.
Diplomatic sources told CBS News that Qatar mediated the deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas.
Nebulsi said the Okal family is sheltering with 40 other people "under constant air strikes" and they're running desperately low on food and water.