SEATTLE — Miles Okumura, brother of retired University of Washington instructor Ramona Okumura, spoke to KING 5 about his sister's return from Gaza after being stuck in the area. He said she is expected to arrive on a flight back to Seattle in a couple of days.
KING 5 reported her condition in early October when she was waiting for a visa from the Egyptian government to get out of Gaza.
Miles spoke about his reaction to the news "I remember that text, I was so overjoyed. She said, 'on the move' and I was so happy."
Ramona, who just celebrated her 71st birthday, was in Gaza as the prosthetics consultant with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, which describes itself as "a non-political, nonprofit organization dedicated to healing the wounds of war" and provides medical support to kids in the area.
During her time stuck in Gaza, Miles talked about how she faced harsh conditions, having to ration food, moving between different locations and hearing explosions in the middle of the night, shaking the building she was in.
Ramona taught prosthetics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and went on missions to Gaza to help fit child amputees with prosthetic limbs.
In the interview, Miles emphasized her passion for helping children affected by the war.
"She reminds us that every day at least 100 children are killed and she's really feeling strongly about this. I have no doubt that this will really weigh on her very heavily," said Miles.
When she was still stuck in Gaza, some of her family members traveled to Washington D.C., knocking on senators and State Department officials' doors calling for a ceasefire or to open a humanitarian corridor.
In the interview, Miles said the nieces and nephews are now getting together in Seattle for Thanksgiving to greet her. They come from all over the country, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Colorado.
Her return is coupled with the news that more than 300 foreign nationals, including some Americans, have also crossed the border into Egypt. They are the first allowed out of the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing since the conflict began more than three weeks ago.
Their freedom was brokered by Qatar, which was part of a deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas. Eighty-one injured Palestinians were also able to cross into Egypt under the deal.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, nearly 400 Americans and their families, which amounts to about 1,000 in total, are still stuck in Gaza waiting to get out.