Family of Canadian woman in Gaza pleading for help from the federal government

A Canadian family CityNews first spoke with last week now say the situation in the Gaza Strip is getting worse by the hour, not only are bombs dropping around them, but they are now pacing out sips of water as supplies are running out. 

Asia Mathkour, her husband, their two children and grandparents have been on the run for days. They were able to travel south during the evacuation order and are now crammed into a home with about 50 people.

“We are really scared that we don’t have a lot of time left with them – it’s like we are living an apocalypse it seems we feel like that’s where they are. We can’t get to them or help in anyway,” said Asia’s sister-in-law Mae Latif who is currently in Ontario.

Mae said they are desperate, and time is running out. “There is no water right now. There really is just a lot of people counting down until the end.

Mathkour is originally from Mississauga and has been living in Gaza with her husband and kids for the last few years. She is in the process of bringing them back to Canada. In one of the last communications, Mathkour posted on Instagram

“Yes, I am still alive, but we are not OK because our situation is so dire.. We do not know how long we have left -a bomb can drop on us any minute. We are in so much terror,” read the post.

Latif tells CityNews the most painful part is knowing it takes just five minutes to get over the border.

Calls are growing louder for the Canadian government to demand a humanitarian corridor, including a petition is nearing 40,000 signatures.

Mae said there has been too much false hope about Egypt opening its boarder and people are suffering. 

“We are their voices right now. They are silenced, this is all we can do,” said Latif. “We are asking that Justin Trudeau and Melanie Joly execute an immediate plan for the safe passage for Canadians outside of Gaza. We don’t have much time left and the world is watching.”

Right now, about 300 Canadian Citizens, permanent residents and their families are in Gaza and have registered with the Canadian government for assistance.

The federal government just announced 21 Canadians, plus 10 people from Australia and New Zealand, took a bus out of the West Bank. Earlier in the day, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly also confirmed the first group of Canadians have crossed safely from the West Bank into neighbouring Jordan as the violence continues. 

Five Canadians have been confirmed dead and three are missing since fighters stormed into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing hundreds of people and taking a reported 199 people hostage.