His 1st trip to Gaza in 56 years ended in a harrowing escape to Egypt
Ottawa's Hany Elbatnigi went to Gaza in September to visit family and sell a property. Then the latest Israel-Hamas war began and it took a month to get out.
![His 1st trip to Gaza in 56 years ended in a harrowing escape to Egypt](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7024364.1699620572!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/hany-elbatnigi-9-nov-23.jpg)
![Hany Elbatnigi speaks to his kids from a hotel room in Cairo. He was able to flee Gaza via the Rafah border crossing earlier in the week after being stuck in the Israel-Hamas war. A man appears on a computer screen sitting on a table.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7024364.1699620572!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/hany-elbatnigi-9-nov-23.jpg)
Ottawa's Hany Elbatnigi went to Gaza in September to visit family and sell a property. Then the latest Israel-Hamas war began and it took a month to get out.