(Montreal) Canadians whose families are being bombed in Gaza say they are terrified and desperate to help their loved ones in the sealed-off Palestinian territory, but do not know how.
Montrealer Dalya Shaath says she is having trouble figuring out how to help her loved ones in Gaza.
“I haven’t been able to be in contact with certain members of my family because there is no internet, there is no communication,” said the therapist in a telephone interview.
So I don’t know if they are still alive or if they are dead.
Dalya Shaath
Mme Shaath said the past few days have been difficult and emotional. “We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, how things are going to end, but we absolutely want the war to end,” she said. Civilian lives matter. »
The fighting that began with Hamas’ surprise attack this weekend has claimed more than 1,900 lives on both sides, as aid groups warn that Gaza’s hospitals are being overwhelmed by the wounded.
Reem Sultan, a 49-year-old pharmacist from London, Ont., said she was struggling to pull herself together after recently losing loved ones in Gaza and was desperately looking for ways to help her family still in the Palestinian territory sealed off.
“It was pure hell. I try to be strong for my children and I hide so much fear,” said Mme Sultan in tears during a telephone interview.
“I just pray and constantly think about how I can help my family. »
She once sent money to support her family in Gaza, but now struggles to communicate with them since Israel launched a massive retaliatory offensive on Saturday following an attack by Hamas militants .
The latter burst into Israel on Saturday morning, killing hundreds of residents in homes and streets near the border with Gaza and sparking exchanges of fire in Israeli towns. Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are holding around 150 soldiers and civilians hostage, according to Israel.
The weekend attack, which Hamas called retaliation for deteriorating living conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation, fueled Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza.
The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it had regained effective control of areas attacked by Hamas in the south and of the border with Gaza. Israel warned civilians in Gaza to evacuate neighborhood by neighborhood, then bombed the area.
“An open-air prison”
Mme Sultan said his family was displaced from their home in Gaza in 1967 and eventually moved to Canada in 1989.
Mme Sultan said his relatives had to flee their high-rise apartments and take refuge in cramped spaces, without electricity and with little water or food. Some died, she said, while others told her they feared for their lives.
Mme Sultan says she currently sees no way to help her relatives leave Gaza as Israeli airstrikes have targeted the crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza town of Rafah – the only crossing out of the coastal territory densely populated area that does not lead to Israel.
Aid groups are calling for the creation of corridors to deliver aid to Gaza, and warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded were running out of supplies. Israel has banned the entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza.
“We just have to hope for a ceasefire so we can send funds to help them, but anyway, what is the money going to be used for now,” worries Mme Sultan.
“They need the supplies to arrive. They need the border to be open. They need water, medicine and food to arrive by truck. They are currently in an open-air prison. »
Mme Sultan also feared he would soon lose contact with his loved ones, as many of their phones had low power.
Global Affairs Canada urged Canadians in the region to limit their travel, but did not immediately respond to a question about how Canadians can help friends and family stuck in Gaza or how Ottawa is supporting its citizens stuck in Gaza.
“Global Affairs Canada has responded to 785 requests since the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023,” the agency wrote in a statement Tuesday.
“Most requests relate to Canada’s travel advisories and warnings for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, airport/flight status and departure options, overall security situation; as well as families and loved ones seeking information on their well-being and location. »
Mmy Both Shaath and Sultan have said they would like to see Canadian politicians show some form of support for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
“I pray and really hope that humans will stand up and protect these people who cannot protect themselves,” Ms.me Sultan.
With information from the Associated Press.