By Canadian Press

Canadian with family in Gaza calling on Ottawa to advocate more for its citizens

Dec 5, 2023 | 9:48 AM

An Ontario man says he is desperate to get his two children and wife out of the Gaza Strip as Israel intensifies its offensive into southern areas of the besieged territory.

Nael Alhalis, says his 13-year-old daughter and his nine-year-old son – who are Canadian citizens – are on a list of foreigners allowed to leave Gaza through a border crossing with Egypt but his Palestinian wife is not. 

He says Canadian government officials have told him they are advocating for his wife to be put on the list but say the matter is ultimately out of their control. 

Alhalis says his children can’t cross the border unaccompanied and even the journey from central Gaza, where his family is sheltering, to the border in the south is growing more dangerous as Israel’s bombardment increases. 

Alhalis – who was born in Gaza, later immigrated to Canada and has a home in Burlington, Ont. – says he and his family have been living largely in Gaza for the last six years and he was travelling for work when the Israel-Gaza war began. 

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The 46-year-old says he’s been feeling increasingly helpless, fears his family could be killed at any point, and is urging Ottawa to do more to help.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press