Meanwhile Palestinian Canadians continue to worry about their loved ones who are stuck in Gaza one Vancouver resident is here to speak with us Naser najer says his family is in Gaza and is now living with about 25 people in a single apartment he fears they will not be able
To survive if there is no resolution to the fighting soon nassa thank you so much for making time for us thank you for having me thank you Naser tell us about your family and where they are right now what are the conditions they’re dealing with so my family cons contains of my parents
My two older parents my older sister Dr Lena she’s a doctor who used to help and assist uh patients in in Gaza uh but then she fleed with my family uh to a refugee camp called Alat and what’s been called the safe area of the South and
With my other little sister razan uh who used to work in an orphanage and and also participate um with the with stray dogs and and animals have you been able to speak right now they’re living uh it was very hard to speak with them through the last seven weeks it was
Almost impossible uh due to the lack of electricity due to the lack of communications uh connections telecommunications it was very hard like he would spend hours just trying to call them and uh and and you I will I was I would feel relieved if I received that
Text saying that we’re alive or we’re in this part of the world or we’re in this part of of the city and and and we’re safe for now uh they shared horrible horrible stories um the way that they’re trying to to to find food the the fact
That my mom is out of of her her her medication the fact that my my father’s condition is worsening um the fact that my older sister she had to leave her patients behind uh pregnant women who she couldn’t assist or help because of the lack of of medical supplies uh death everywhere destruction
Unimaginable destruction uh all of that was possible for them to share with me in in the last few hours when when the truce took place of course it’s the temporary truce we’re talking about that less than 72 hours now yeah H how is it imaginable for us here in Canada like as Palestinian
Canadians to think after these 72 hours what my family and other Palestinian Canadians what their family are going to go through nothing less than a slaughtery nothing less than a genocide now NASA I do need to address that because um this word genocide has been brought up before many other guests
Have said it I just want to acknowledge for the audience that it is a legal term that has not been applied by the United Nations to this instance but you are not alone in feeling that that is what we’re witnessing and part of your rationale I
Imagine is also because you worked as an aid worker in the region right can you tell us a bit about what’s happening on that front if you’re touch with your colleagues on the ground and what they’re dealing with so uh just just to clarify when it comes to genocide is the intention and
Uh and and there are other human rights organiz organizations that brought it up um mainly uh it wasn’t brought up by the United Nations up to this moment but it’s it has all the aspects for it yes uh the red I do have co-workers from the Red Cross who who passed away Muhammad
AB who who was killed actually to be to be more fair in fact Natasha if you were there on the ground there’s a high possibility that you would be injured or or or even killed as as a journalist up to this moment over 60 journalists has been killed as we know 5,000 children
Has been killed and and and this is devastating so I’ll tell you what as you can see here this is my son Daniel if he was in Gaza there’s a big possibility Daniel will be hungry because he’s will be prevented from food he will be prevented from water he will
Prevent will be prevented from medication Daniel over here didn’t see his his grandmother or grandfather Daniel over here didn’t see his his aunt who was trying to assist and and and uh patients women who who had the right to to have their their medical care and he
He’s if if God forbid he was there according to israelies he would be a collateral damage this is not right Daniel has the right to see his family God knows after 72 hours what’s going to happen his whole family can be wiped out his whole family can can can be off this
Planet it’s our duty it’s our duty in Canada to to try to to to reunification to to make him see his family it’s our right in Canada to stand with the Palestinians Nas sir let me say one journalistic fact right now which is your baby is absolutely adorable and
Beautiful and we hope that he lives a life only of peace and prosperity but you’ve brought up the issue of the Canadian government and you are a Palestinian Canadian what do you would you like to see the Canadian government do in 15 years from now Natasha I don’t
Know what I’m gonna tell Daniel when he look back and he tells me what did my country do Palestine what did Canada do to Palestine if we don’t speak now if we don’t ask for ceasefire where do we stand in human rights how are we a democracy and and most important and and
And important for him as as a kid as an adorable baby over here please assist us with having a program to for unification with between him and his family there are a lot of Palestinian can adans here they’re looking for that they’re they’re hoping for their parents to be United with
Their they’re looking for their families to be United with their loved ones and their babies sorry I’m div wordss no I we really appreciate your time I hope that your family in Gaza is okay that everyone will be safe and sound you will see them soon and I hope that
Daniel gets to meet his grandparents thank you so much for your time both of you thank you
Nasser Najjar, a Palestinian Canadian living in Vancouver, says that his family is stuck in Gaza. Najjar says his parents and two sisters describe the situation in Gaza as ‘death everywhere, unimaginable destruction,’ and he’s worried for their safety.
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