‘I don’t know if they’re alive or not’: Hamilton man fears for family in Gaza amid war

As residents in Gaza look to evacuate in the wake of an order from the Israeli military, some are calling on the government to do more to help Canadians trapped in the violence escape.

Calls are coming from across the country, including from here in Hamilton.

Rani Hemaid is now living in Central Hamilton but says he’s in constant communication with his family currently in Gaza.

“It’s scary to think, will I talk to them after a minute, like talking to you right now, I don’t know if they’re alive or not… I just don’t know if I’m going to be able to hug them again, or talk to them again.”

Rani lived in Gaza up until 2016 when he decided to move to Canada and start a family, but his parents, siblings, and young nieces and nephews remain.

READ MORE: Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister travels to Greece, Israel, Jordan

Since Israel began its constant air strikes on the Gaza Strip last Saturday in response to attacks launched by Hamas, Hemaid says his family has been regularly on the move.

“Their home is destroyed, they are moving from one place to another, based on how, because they are bombing block by block.”

The streets of Gaza have become little more than rubble as residents are packing their belongings and fitting as many people as possible into cars heading south Friday.

The Israeli military called for all civilians to evacuate the north within a 24 hour period. This is a move that the United Nations has called impossible and has warned that this could lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Hamaid can only hope that his family finds safety and that Canada can do more to help those attempting to flee the violence.

READ MORE: Israel orders evacuation of 1.1M people in Northern Gaza

The Canadian government says that as of Friday there are thousands of Canadians in Israel and Gaza.

Government officials say that their Egyptian counterparts have told them that the only crossing along the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Rafah Gate, could be opened for foreign nationals to evacuate Gaza on Saturday.

Global Affairs Canada says a plan has yet to be finalized or confirmed.

“We will be making Canadians aware that there is a possibility, but we are not going to tell Canadians to move until we know that that is a possibility, and we have confirmation that those individuals can get across that border. The last thing we want is for Canadians to get stuck at a border.”

READ MORE: Escalating violence draws concerns of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza