Palestinians in Ottawa ‘praying for a miracle’ for family in Gaza as airstrikes continue | CBC News

Palestinians in Ottawa are struggling to stay in contact with loved ones living in the Gaza Strip as Israeli airstrikes continue and supplies run short.

Humanitarian organizations are calling for aid in the territory where food, fuel and medical stocks are limited amid a total siege imposed by Israel after wide-ranging attacks by Hamas. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise.

The initial attack and the response that followed have claimed at least 2,700 lives so far — of Israelis, Palestinians and citizens of other countries, including Canada.

Janan Arafa said she’s lost contact with aunts, uncles and cousins in Gaza, describing the past few days as “devastating.”

“I keep saying the word catastrophic, because it is,” Arafa said. “I haven’t heard from my family members in a while now.”

My heart is just broken for the kids.– Janan Arafa, Association of Palestinan Arab Canadians

Arafa is a board member with the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians (APAC), an organization that advocates for Palestinians in the National Capital Region.

She’s been closely following the news for updates, searching the names of family members online and speaking with others with connections to the territory to see if they know anything about her relatives.

‘Holding our breath’ and ‘praying for a miracle’

The movement of people and goods into Gaza — including food and water — has been controlled under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel withdrew its military forces from the territory under international pressure in 2005 but has said it needed to maintain the blockade to protect Israelis from Hamas.

“We’ve become accustomed to just holding our breath and waiting for this to just pass and praying for a miracle,” Arafa said.

She explained that as a mother she’s especially concerned about the shortage of water and what families on the ground are going through.

“When you have a newborn at home, you rely heavily on water,” she said. “My heart is just broken for the kids.”

The Israeli government is under pressure to topple Hamas after its militants stormed through a border fence Saturday and massacred hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival.

At least 1,300 Israelis have been killed, according to the country’s military.

Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza have flattened entire city blocks and left unknown numbers of bodies beneath debris.

The death toll in Gaza rose to over 1,400 Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, including 447 children.

Mona Abuamara, chief representative of the Palestinian General Delegation to Canada, said those with family in the territory are afraid to sleep in case they miss an update from relatives.

“The uncertainty is very devastating and the feeling of being unable to do something about it,” she said.

Abuamara pointed to statements from world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said Canada condemns the attacks by Hamas and stands with Israel, supporting its right to defend itself in accordance with international law.

“It feels like you’re not equal, even in pain,” said Abuamara.

In a statement shared Thursday, Global Affairs Canada said it’s concerned about the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip. The government also announced $10 million in aid for the civilians affected by this conflict.

“Let us be clear, no Canadian aid will be going to Hamas,” said International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Health-care system collapsing

Michael Lynk, a former United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, described the situation as a “huge disaster.”

Lynk said Gaza has long suffered shortages of water and electricity, but the total siege has elevated the situation to a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

The World Health Organization reported Tuesday that medical supplies at seven major hospitals had run out, while health-care facilities have been hit by Israeli airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of six health workers and damaging nine ambulances. 

“The ability to be able to treat the many, many, many wounded in a country that is really at a third-world health-care standard [has] already overwhelmed the system,” said Lynk.

With fuel running out in Gaza, sewage and desalination plants could also grind to a halt, the lawyer said.

He compared scenes from news coverage showing buildings and entire blocks in Gaza that have been levelled by Israeli warplanes to Hamburg or London during the Second World War and said the losses will only grow if a ground offensive takes place.

“What occurred on the weekend with respect to Hamas is very clearly war crimes, war crimes on a large level,” said Lynk. 

“But the commission of war crimes by one side does not justify the commission of what appears to be war crimes on the other.”