Canadian trapped in Gaza pleads for help as Ottawa announces new immigration measures
CBC
A Canadian citizen trapped in Gaza is begging for help as Ottawa announces new measures to help family members of Canadians flee the war zone.
Mahmoud Kouta of London, Ont. told CBC News he's been trapped in Gaza since the current Israel-Hamas war broke out.
The air and ground war was launched in response to Hamas's brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the war has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and displaced roughly 1.9 million people, and has demolished much of northern Gaza.
Kouta said he was living in northern Gaza and fled south to Rafah with his wife and 18-month old daughter after his house was bombed.
Israeli officials ordered evacuating Palestinian civilians to head for Rafah and a handful of other towns, but the area has been bombarded regularly by Israeli forces.
"Nowhere is safe," Kouta said.
"When I go to find water, when I go to find food, I tell my wife goodbye. I kiss my daughter and I hope it's not the last kiss that I give to her.
"I can't explain to you how we feel when we hear the sound of bombing. All we can do is try to calm down our young ones."
Hundreds of Canadians and permanent residents were able to escape Gaza through the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian border last month. Foreign nationals were able to leave Gaza under an apparent agreement between the United States, Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, but the evacuations have since slowed.
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced temporary measures on Thursday that could allow extended family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to flee Gaza.
The government will grant temporary residency to extended family members — including spouses, common law partners, children, grandchildren, siblings, parents or grandparents — who want to leave Gaza, Miller told reporters.
"We've had limited ability to get Canadians and permanent residents out, but we have limited it to closer family unit definitions," he said.
"This expands the definition and allows us a greater set of people that may not be permanent residents or Canadians, but for all intents and purposes represent the family of people that are close to Canadians."
Miller said the current humanitarian crisis has made Gaza "unlivable." He added that the government doesn't have "any assurances" that those family members on Canada's list will be able to leave Gaza. He noted that there is an extensive vetting process on the ground.
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