New Jersey woman who fled Gaza says Gazans 'deserve life'
American Maha Elbanna woke up in Gaza on Thursday unsure if she'd be able to cross the border into Egypt. She found her name on the approved list and said she had enough fuel in her car for one shot at getting to the border.
New Jersey woman describes harrowing escape from Gaza
Thursday night, from her hotel in Cairo, she told ABC News that she's been in Gaza for other wars, but this time is different.
"It's brutal," she said. "The total number of people killed is too high, too fast. Too many women and children -- can't be justified."
She said the decision to leave Gaza wasn't easy.
"I'm leaving everyone I know -- my brothers, sisters, nieces, my cousins, my friends, my co-workers," she said.
But she also has four children in New Jersey. She said she’s grateful she is able to go home to have Thanksgiving with them.
She said she wants people to know that Gazans are human.
"They're beautiful. They have dreams and hopes and aspirations. We do everything like all other normal people. We eat, we breathe, we play, we dance … we do yoga. we ride our bikes. It's normal life," she said. "It's people who deserve life."
-ABC News' Maggie Rulli
