A Medway family is safe at home after being trapped in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, while another local family has fled the war zone and made it into Egypt.
Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda, and their 1-year-old son Yousef finally arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday, and they’re now at their Medway home after escaping from Gaza.
“The Okal Family continues to be incredibly thankful for their family and friends around the world who spoke up on their behalf, the Medway community, the media for sharing their plight and the plight of the hundreds of other Americans trapped in Gaza, their elected officials who fought hard for their return, and the State Department for providing them with safe departure,” a family spokesperson said in a statement.
“While the Okal Family is relieved to be home in Medway, their thoughts continue to be with their family, including both Abood and Wafaa’s parents, and the other innocent civilians who are still in Gaza, who may not have the same opportunity they had to leave and who continue to suffer from hunger, dehydration, lack of access to fuel and medicine, and intensifying air strikes,” the spokesperson added.
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The Shafai family of Plymouth was also able to get out of Gaza and make it into Egypt, according to U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating.
“We welcome the good news that the Shafai family are out of Gaza and will soon be on their way home to the United States after weeks of our entreaties to the Department of State, and Israeli and Egyptian officials,” Markey and Keating said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
“Hazem, Sanaa, Seera, Yumna, and Jasser have been in the thoughts and prayers of everyone in Massachusetts, and we must continue to push for every American citizen to return home safely,” Markey and Keating added. “We will continue calling for immediate humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and for the immediate release of all hostages.”
An off-duty police sergeant was allegedly assaulted by a “belligerent” woman during a road rage incident in the days before Christmas, police said.
Randolph woman Vashiyra Mason, 20, was arrested and charged by Stoughton Police after allegedly striking the off-duty cop’s vehicle and assaulting him.
Stoughton police officers responded to the area of 278 Washington St. for a report of a disturbance on Sunday at about 1:06 p.m.
An off-duty Stoughton police sergeant had called the station and reported that he was following a vehicle that side-swiped his car and left the scene.
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Mason had allegedly driven into the oncoming traffic lane and around the off-duty officer’s vehicle on Pine Street, and side-swiped the front of his car. Mason later stopped in a parking lot, where the off-duty officer followed her.
“In the parking lot, the off-duty officer identified himself multiple times as a Stoughton Police sergeant in an attempt to de-escalate the situation,” police wrote about the incident. “Mason became belligerent, using slurs and hitting the off-duty officer in the upper body, neck, and face area.”
The off-duty officer then reportedly restrained Mason to prevent her from injuring him or herself.
The passenger of Mason’s car, a 19-year-old Brockton woman, then allegedly hit the off-duty officer in the back of his head and neck. The passenger also began to attack a woman who was with the off-duty officer.
Officers arrived shortly after, and saw Mason hitting the woman who was with the off-duty officer. Mason allegedly grabbed the woman by her hair, and punched her in the back of the head multiple times.
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Mason was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
Mason’s passenger will be issued a summons to appear in Stoughton District Court on charges of assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, and resisting arrest. Because the suspect is being summonsed and the court has not issued a criminal complaint, her identity cannot be released.
Bishop Feehan held off a strong upset bid from St. Mary’s as both hold their spot in the Top 5.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The top seven remains unchanged in the Globe Top 20 girls’ basketball poll.
St. Mary’s stays in the No. 4 spot after giving No. 1 Bishop Feehan a battle. Woburn has made things interesting so far, but has found a way to prevail each time.
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Notre Dame (Hingham) snuck past Fontbonne, which says more about Fontbonne’s potential than anything else. Braintree leapfrogs Needham after winning a tight, defensive battle at Needham High.
Whitman-Hanson, Newton North, and Framingham fall out. Westwood, North Quincy, and North Andover take their place.
The next 10, in alphabetical order, are: Andover, Bourne, Chelmsford, Duxbury, Fontbonne, Lincoln-Sudbury, Natick, Norwood, Pembroke, and Wayland.
No.
Team
Record
Previous
1.
Bishop Feehan
3-0-0
1
2.
Medfield
3-0-0
2
3.
Foxborough
3-0-0
3
4.
St. Mary’s
2-1-0
4
5.
Woburn
3-0-0
5
6.
Cathedral
2-0-0
6
7.
Norwell
1-0-0
7
8.
Notre Dame (Hingham)
2-0-0
9
9.
Quincy
3-0-0
10
10.
Central Catholic
1-0-0
11
11.
Dartmouth
3-0-0
12
12.
Bishop Fenwick
2-0-0
13
13.
Bridgewater-Raynham
2-0-0
15
14.
Braintree
3-0-0
17
15.
Needham
2-1-0
8
16.
Walpole
2-1-0
20
17.
Westwood
4-0-0
–
18.
North Quincy
4-0-0
–
19.
North Andover
3-0-0
–
20.
Oliver Ames
2-1-0
18
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Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com.
Massachusetts firefighters were left scrambling this weekend when an inadvertent fireworks display erupted over a massive, propane-fueled blaze that destroyed two suburban homes and damaged a third.
Crews in Spencer, Mass., were already battling arctic 20-degree temperatures, dangerously icy conditions and a brutal inferno that exploded on East Avenue at about 4 p.m. on Sunday, CBS News said.
But the mammoth blaze — which was fed by propane tanks stored in the basement of one of the homes destroyed — wasn’t the only problem.
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Crews battled a massive fire in Spencer, Mass., that destroyed two homes. Oakham Fire Department/FacebookMassachusetts firefighters were left scrambling this weekend when an inadvertent fireworks display erupted over a massive. Oakham Fire Department/Facebook
At one point, the flames reached an assortment of fireworks stored in the home — sending a grandiose spectacle leaping in all directions across the skies of the tiny town about a half-hour west of Worcester.
At one point, the flames reached a fireworks store that began exploding over firefighters’ heads. WBZ-TV
Video taken by a neighbor and published by CBS showed the fireworks streaming skyward, then bursting as shocked onlookers yelled in surprise.
“The main house, we didn’t even do anything with initially,” Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons told WCVB in Massachusetts. “It was well-involved when we pulled up.”
The home was empty when the fire started, officials said.
“Very quickly, this home had collapsed upon itself,” Parsons said. “This was an old home. It had a fire here about 30 years ago, so there was an old section and a new section to the home. We believe it started in the old section.”
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The blaze totally destroyed two homes and damaged a third. WBZ-TV
Later on, the local fire department said in a Facebook post that “two of our families from town lost everything tonight and a third had damage to their home.”
“It’s devastating before Christmas,” said Justin Peck, who lived in the second home. “It just feels like everything’s falling apart.”
Two firefighters even fell through the ice of a nearby pond as they tried to pull water from its depths, since there are no fire hydrants in the area, officials said.
Despite the catastrophic property damage, no one was hurt by the flames, the icy conditions or the impromptu Independence Day display.
Local authorities and the state fire marshal are still trying to nail down what caused the blaze.
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