Dozens of Canadians who had been stranded in the Gaza Strip have been taken to safety after spending several days trapped in the troubled region.

Canadian Nasreen el Madhoul said she was happy to be able to leave Gaza Thursday, but she remains worried about family members who live there. (CBC)

Forty-eight Canadians passed through the Erez Crossing at the Israeli/Gaza border on Thursday, arriving safely in Israel, the CBC's Peter Armstrong reported from the border.

Around 300 foreign nationals were expected to be able to leave Gaza on Thursday.

Marwan Diab, of Calgary, who was visiting Gaza City with his wife and four children, told CBC News that the Canadians were taken by bus to a point near the Erez terminal.

"Of course when you are near the border, it's always a security concern," he said. "But this time we did not have any concerns because there was no problem. It was arranged well by the Canadian officials at the Canadian Embassy."

Nasreen El Madhoun, of London, Ont., said she was happy to be able to leave Gaza, but she was still worried about family members who live there.

"I don't know if I can see them again or if this is the last time," said el Madhoul. "So I'm happy that I'm going to my husband, to my country, to my home, but I'm worried [for] my father, my brother."

Earlier this week, a busload of foreign nationals, including 18 Canadians, tried to cross the border. The group came within a kilometre of the border but had to turn back after it was deemed too dangerous to cross.

A boy waits as foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality gather outside the International Red Cross headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday as they prepare to leave Gaza. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)

Diab said Canadian officials had been in contact with his family over the past few days.

"They have been very helpful phoning us and telling us exactly what's happening, when we'll be leaving."

There had been some criticism of the Canadian government for not acting quickly enough to get Canadians out of the area.

Israeli officials had said that they didn’t get a request from the Canadian government to get its foreign nationals out until Saturday, the day the ground offensive into the Gaza Strip began.

Diab said his family will now travel to Jordan and fly out to Calgary as soon as possible.