TAMPA, Fla. — Five children reunited with their mother after losing contact when the Israel-Hamas war started.
Hana Elnagar calls the last couple of months heartbreaking but said Tuesday was a miracle.
Her youngest is just 3 years old and her oldest is 11. This is the first time they've all been home together in half a year.
“It's hard because I couldn't believe I was going to see them again," Elnagar said. "It's hard, but finally I saw my kids."
A trip to visit family in Gaza quickly turned into a nightmare for Elnagar. She said her five children were taken by a family member who did not have custody. All of this happened as the war was emerging.
Project Dynamo stepped in to help rescue the children from Egypt where the family member had taken them. They said they left for Egypt on Saturday.
“If you're an American kid stuck in a war zone, somebody should show up and if they don't, Dynamo will [rescue you],” Bryan Stern said, founder and CEO of the organization.
“Now my kids are back home, safe after the war," Elnagar said. "They saw bombs and a lot of people die in front of them and were in a bad area."
Elnagar said the first thing she plans to do is make sure her children get a checkup and enroll in school.
“In Gaza, there is no food. There is no power. There is no electricity. If you want to take a shower, there is no water for a shower, there is no water to drink."
Elnagar knows there's a long road to getting them settled again, but she's just focusing on having them back in her loving arms.
“They are a miracle,” Elnagar said.
Project Dynamo started in 2021. They said they've rescued 6,800 people so far and there are still several other operations they are working on.