On Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian-Americans Abood Okal and Wafaa Abuzayda’s vacation to visit family in the Gaza Strip with their then 1-year-old son, Yousef, was thrown into chaos with the outbreak of armed conflict.
The married couple from Medway were trapped inside the Gaza Strip alongside their extended family of parents, siblings, nieces and nephews — and most pressingly their own young child — as rockets fired overhead and supplies rapidly dwindled.
The family made a treacherous journey from northern Gaza to the border with Egypt in the hopes of securing assistance from the U.S. State Department for an exit route from the nightmare scenario.
After almost a month, the mother, father and baby escaped Gaza and returned home to the U.S. — leaving behind many friends and family who were unable to leave in the process, some of whom would later die in the destruction.
In this video series, Abuzayda and Okal talk about their time in the war zone, what it was like to return and what they think needs to happen to stop the ongoing bloodshed.
Trapped in Gaza (Part 1): Meet the Massachusetts family that got stuck in the middle of war
Trapped in Gaza (Part 2): War arrives as rockets crack, windows break and soot covers everything and everyone
Trapped in Gaza (Part 3): Mourning the loss of family members, but praying for death
Trapped in Gaza (Part 4): Milk, diapers and a separation as supplies dwindle
Trapped in Gaza (Part 5): The family finds shelter, sharing single-family home with 40 total people
Trapped in Gaza (Part 6): Evacuating the war zone was more like ‘playing telephone’ with State Dept.
Trapped in Gaza (Part 7): Abood and Wafaa reflect on the trauma, continue to check on family overseas
