STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Bay Terrace resident Marylu Hegazy embraced her daughter, Leila, 35 -- who was wearing only prison sandals and pajamas given to her by the Jordanian government -- in JFK Airport in Queens, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Leila returned from a 45-day journey on Wednesday night, which began in Barcelona, Spain as an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and ended with being released from an Israeli prison.

“I was terrified, but I am so proud of her,” said Marylu of her daughter, who is a St. George resident, teacher, musician and social media creator. “This was an unbelievable thing to me that she did; she really put her life on the line. As a mother, it’s scary as hell, but I’m so proud of her for following through.”

When speaking to the Advance/SILive.com,

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