Canadian couple Suhar Yousef and Amir Yousef landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport and reunited with their son after weeks of being trapped in Gaza on Tuesday.
After five days of arriving in Gaza, Hamas began to attack Israel, which lasted for weeks of violence.
Canadian Couple Reunited With Son
The Canadian couple spent 36 days trapped in Gaza, which started as a vacation but ended as a terrifying adventure for the couple.
During the couple's stay in Gaza, the Israeli government declared war and launched airstrikes in the first week and performed a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
Amir said to his wife that it was dangerous while speaking to journalists in the Toronto airport's arrivals hall. He also said that his brother was killed in the bombardment and fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The couple said they were able to communicate with their son, Abdul Eqdaih, who was residing in Toronto when they were trapped in the Gaza Strip.
Eqdaih said he was trying to get his parents home and checking his phone occasionally to get updates from his parents and confirm their safety.
"When I could speak to them, places around them were getting bombed. No place was safe," he said. He added that the attacks he heard were pretty bad.
Eqdaih immediately booked his parents a one-way ticket flight when the couple crossed into Egypt. He chose the first flight and was anxious while waiting for his parents.
"We are lucky we crossed to Egypt and everything was okay," Amir said.
Before the EgyptAir flight from Cairo landed, Eqdaih arrived and stood in arrivals to repeatedly check the board for news of the plane's progress.
"I can't wait to see them, it was a hard month for us," he said when he entered the arrivals hall at Canada's airport.
He tightly hugged his parents as soon as he saw them arrive completely safe after weeks of anxiety and danger for the family.
Civilians Trapped in Gaza
Thousands of Israelis and Palestinians were killed in the fighting, and millions of civilians were trapped in Gaza. The trapped civilians struggled with almost no food, fuel, and water.
According to CTV News, Global Affairs Canada reported that 234 Canadians, including permanent residents and their family members, crossed from Gaza into Egypt on Sunday. However, some people on the list have not yet reached Egypt.
The couple said they did not take for granted their safety as danger in Gaza has continued to kill civilians.
Amir reflected on what happened during their stay in Gaza and said that Israelis and Palestinians both want to live in peace, and the Canadian couple were against the war.
More Canadians could leave Gaza and return from Cairo on another EgyptAir flight on Thursday.
