Palestinians leave their houses following Israeli airstrikes in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

By Derek Craddock

IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR

‘I don’t know if I can see them again’: P.A. man fears for family stranded in Gaza

Oct 13, 2023 | 5:00 PM

A Prince Albert husband and father is nearly 10,000 km away from his family with no contact and no way of knowing if they’re safe.

Abdullah Algherbawi didn’t hold back any emotions when talking about his wife and four children trapped in Gaza, in the middle of a war between Israel and Hamas militants.

“It’s a hard situation. I don’t know if I can see them again.”

Algherbawi and his family visited Gaza in July, having not seen their relatives in years. He returned to Prince Albert for work while his wife and kids stayed behind.

He told paNOW they were supposed to come back next month. That was before a surprise attack from Hamas militants hit Israel last Saturday.

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Israel has since retaliated with its own set of attacks on Gaza, a strip of land bordering Israel and Egypt that is home to roughly two million people.

Israel’s military told one million Palestinians on Friday to evacuate northern Gaza and head to the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order applying to almost half the population ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.

Hamas, meanwhile, told people to ignore the evacuation order. Gaza is currently sealed off from food, water, and medical supplies and is under a virtual total power blackout.

That blackout has prevented Algherbawi from contacting his family.

“All the borders are closed now. I don’t know when they’re coming back or what’s happening.”

Algherbawi said that when the first attacks were carried out, his family was staying with his parents when the home behind theirs was bombed, forcing them to relocate to his wife’s parent’s home.

“The same day, nighttime, they started bombing that neighbourhood where they are staying,” he added. “So, they decided to evacuate to my sister’s house. They stayed there in a small house with many families without electricity or food or water for three days.”

They were eventually forced out of that home but where they went from there is unknown. He said his wife had a sliver of internet connection on Thursday, the only contact he’s had since.

“She told me, maybe I will not hear from her for a while. I don’t know where they are now.”

The federal government has already begun airlifting Canadians, permanent residents, and their families out of Gaza.

Canada’s top official for consular services said there might be a short window of time on Saturday afternoon for Canadians to cross the border into Egypt but noted the situation remains volatile.

“We know this has been a terrible week for Canadians in Gaza,” Julie Sunday, the assistant deputy minister for consular, security and emergency management at Global Affairs Canada told reporters on Friday during a briefing on Parliament Hill.

“It is an incredibly difficult situation there right now.”

She said there are approximately 2,200 Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank who have asked for consular help in leaving the region.

Algherbawi said he has contacted embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo for any answers or support for his family.

“They told me they were going to contact them within 24 hours. That’s four days (ago) and that never happened. Even a call (saying) that you are a Canadian and we’re beside you, nobody did that.”

For now, all he can do is wait for any news from his family as he hopes they will return home safely.

–With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com