Montreal man awaits news from family in Gaza City

Montreal man Omar Abuthuraia is one of many suffering through sleepless nights as he waits for news from his family trapped in Gaza City as it is being bombed by Israel.

"It makes life very difficult to live," he told CTV News. "It's hard to sleep. It's hard to eat. It's hard to do anything with the family because we're just hoping not to get the call that something has happened."

Abuthuraia's family has lived in Gaza since they were evacuated from Jaffa in 1948 as refugees.

He said uncles and aunts on his father's side, along with their families, have been in Gaza City since the Israel-Hamas war began.

"It's heartwrenching to know that they're under constant bombardment," he said.

One uncle and family live in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City on the Mediterranean Coast. It is known as a prosperous recreational and business centre.

"We have not heard from him in a few days," said Abuthuraia. "We know that they're not at home. They are going from home to home. They've also split up the families just in case, God forbid, a bomb lands on a home they're staying in, then they don't all go."

• IN PHOTOS: Scenes of devastation in Israel-Hamas war

He said many families in Gaza City are separating so that generations aren't wiped out in one fatal blast.

In addition, many are taking shelter in clinics or hospitals, feeling they'll be safer than at home. This made the deadly explosion in the al-Ahli Hospital in the city on Tuesday additionally traumatic.

Abuthuraia's aunt is staying at a clinic near the hospital in question after she became stuck in Gaza.

"People are trying to find a safe haven," he said. "Their clinic is so close to that hospital that was bombed yesterday. It's a really scary thought to think about their safety."

She is a German national who chose to visit Gaza two weeks ago before the conflict erupted.

"Now she's trapped," he said. "Their house was bombed, so they can't be at home, so now they're staying in the clinic."

This image provided by Maxar Technologies on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023 shows an overview of al-Ahli Hospital after explosion in Gaza City. (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly condemned the bombing on social media. 

"Bombing a hospital is an unthinkable act," she wrote on X. "There is no doubt that doing so is absolutely illegal."

Abuthuraia would like the global community, including Canada, to start calling for a ceasefire before more civilians are killed.

"Seventy per cent are women, children and elderly that are falling," he said. "Under the rubble, there are an estimated 1,300 civilians, under the rubble... Gaza doesn't have the capability to excavate or rescue people... The humanitarian situation is dire, and no place is really safe." 

LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: A Palestinian Montrealer concerned for their loved ones in Gaza