By Canadian Press

Woman part of first cohort of Canadian evacuees describes journey from Gaza to Egypt

Nov 8, 2023 | 10:52 AM

A woman who was part of the first group of Canadians evacuated from Gaza  amid the Israel-Hamas war says she is incredibly relieved to have made it out of the besieged Palestinian enclave with her two children. 

Rana Nassrawi, who is currently at a hotel in Cairo, says she and her kids will be flying home to Mississauga, Ont., in a day. 

Nassrawi was among the 75 people connected to Canada who were able to leave Gaza through the southern Rafah crossing with Egypt — the only way out for foreign nationals — on Tuesday as the war entered its second month.

She says Canadian officials were on the Egyptian side of the border to welcome her and her kids and facilitated their eight-hour bus ride to Cairo from the Rafah crossing.

Nassrawi says they arrived at their Cairo hotel early this morning and she immediately burst into tears as she became overwhelmed with thoughts of what she had witnessed in Gaza. 

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The 43-year-old had been in Gaza to visit her elderly parents for the first time in two decades when the war broke out.

She says her husband, who is in Ontario, immediately booked a flight home for her and their children once they made it out of Gaza. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press