Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa

The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.

The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.

Since Israel launched a war on Gaza last October in retaliation for the Hamas attacks, the retired couple has been determined to get their son Amjad, 43, and his family out of the devastated region. They were only able to do so after taking matters into their hands by travelling to Egypt and paying exorbitant fees.

Of the Nofal’s seven children, all live in Canada except for Amjad, who remained in northern Gaza. Amjad was a teacher and the caretaker of the family farm where he lived with his wife and four children.

"We really feel like the government is not going to do anything. We were desperate and running out of time," said Mohammed, 74, in an interview with CTV National News at his home in Burlington, Ont. His daughter, Wesam, sat beside to helped translate from Arabic to English.

"We know the ins and outs of Egypt and heard about a system of fees," Mohammed said.

"I would call them bribes," Wesam clarifies.

Wesam explained that her parents flew to Cairo in February and contacted a company called "Hala" that offers "travel coordination" services from Gaza. The company charged US$5,000 per adult or teenager, and US$1,000 per child. Hala’s services included getting their names on an approved list at Rafah Gate, the main border crossing in southern Gaza controlled by Egypt on one side and Israel on the other.