Canadians desperate to help loves ones in Gaza struggle for options

Canadians with families under bombardment in Gaza say they are terrified and desperate to help loved ones in the sealed-off Palestinian territory but don’t know how.

Reem Sultan, a 49-year-old pharmacist from London, Ont., says she has previously sent money to support family in Gaza, but is now struggling to communicate with them since Israel launched a massive retaliatory assault on Saturday following an attack by Hamas militants. 

Sultan says she currently sees no way to help relatives leave Gaza, with Israeli airstrikes having targeted the crossing between Egypt and the city of Rafah in southern Gaza – the only passage out of the densely-populated coastal territory that does not lead into Israel. 

Dalya Shaath, a resident of Montreal, says she is also struggling to figure out how to help loved ones in Gaza.