(Photo by Montecruz Foto via Media Co-op/CC BY SA 3.0 DEED)
Portions of the included interview have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Leading experts in international law and genocide studies argue that Israel has and is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. As Israel faces criminal proceedings in the International Court of Justice for war crimes in Gaza, Israel’s lack of accountability so far has continued to prolong the process of grief and justice.
Official verified figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry of Gaza have estimated that Israel has killed over 56,700 Gazans since October 7, 2023. Experts suggest, however, that this toll is likely an underestimate based on the level of destruction. The Lancet reports the death toll in Gaza could be upwards of 40% higher. Over 130,000 Palestinians have been injured, and over 1.9 million have been displaced.
Both The Breach and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) have conducted several investigations that demonstrate the systematic pro-Israeli bias of Canadian news media. To remedy this unbalanced reporting and raise better awareness of the impacts of Israel’s actions on Canadians, this article centers Palestinian-Canadian stories like that of 38-year-old Nour, who is one of over 40,000 Palestinian Canadians living in Canada.
Nour moved from Gaza, Palestine, to the province of British Columbia 6 years ago, where he works as a service technician and lives with his wife and son. As the situation in Gaza continues to worsen, many like Nour have no choice but to soldier on.
How does Gaza come up in your daily life?
Well, being from Gaza, I have family members who still live there, and I’m in contact with them to ensure they’re okay, checking up on them every day. I feel worried if I don’t hear from them. I also keep up with the news many times throughout the day to see what’s happening and if there are any new updates. I attend Palestinian protests as well on a weekly basis to make sure that people are still hearing about what’s going on in Gaza and to spread awareness to help make a change.
Are you asked for your political perspectives because you’re Palestinian?
At work, not many coworkers have asked me about the situation, even though they know that I’m Palestinian, and it seems they try to avoid the topic.
I have never been asked my political standpoint on the topic, but I have had friends and strangers ask me what is going on. Some people are just not well-informed on the topic, and since they know I am from Palestine, they ask what’s happening. I do feel happy when they ask because it shows that they care and they want to hear the truth about what’s happening and why people are suffering.
At times, it feels heavy on the chest to explain what’s happening. These are my people, my own family members, who are going through the genocide. I have to explain how they don’t have food, they don’t have homes, they lost family and friends, they hear bombs and gunshots in the middle of the night. It is not easy to get the words out and explain in detail how people in Gaza are living.
How has the genocide impacted your daily routine?
I’m watching the news as soon as I wake up, checking up on my family members there. During work, from time to time, I check in as well. At the dinner table, I’m checking. Before I go to bed, I check.
How does it feel to wake up to horrific news and be expected to go to work/school?
Waking up to such news is the worst feeling you can ever feel. My own family is suffering, and many other Palestinian families are suffering. My uncle, his wife and two kids were murdered in an air strike while they were taking refuge in a school that was considered a safe zone. Hearing the news of their death that day was an unimaginable pain. I took off from work that day, but I went back to work the next day. It feels terrible that I have to go to work and go about my daily life while this is happening to the people in Gaza.
Have you experienced survivor’s guilt?
I did experience survivor’s guilt, especially at the very beginning of the war. Hearing and seeing the small details of how they are living just made me question why I am living in a safe place. I have a roof over my head, I have three meals a day, I have a warm bed to sleep in at night, and I have my friends and family around me. The people in Gaza were deprived of this, and it makes me feel so upset.
I have learned throughout this war how to control this guilty feeling, as I have a strong belief in my faith… I can go out and do things to help the situation instead of just sitting at home feeling guilty.
What has the grieving process looked like to you?
The grieving process has been a whirlwind of emotions. One day, you feel upset and useless because you feel that you can’t do anything other than the bare minimum, such as donating, praying for family, or just trying to stay in contact with them. Next, you feel optimistic that things will get better. They announce a ceasefire, with aid trucks being able to enter Gaza. Then again, the situation changes, and they are being bombed again… they aren’t letting any aid trucks in, they are stopping ambulances from going to save people. The past 2 years have been so hard on them, and it is a shame that this is even happening in the first place.
It would be kind of impossible not to hear the news about what’s happening in Gaza every day, or to be attached to it on an hourly basis. It is demanding and very stressful, so I sometimes try to have a little break from the news.
Describe the social climate in Canada. Have you been satisfied with the way the Governments of British Columbia and Canada support Palestinians?
The social climate in BC has helped me through the grieving process, as it feels good to see people out on the streets in support of my country and people. Some people understand and feel for what’s happening. Protests happen every week, and people are committed to spreading awareness and trying to help make a change. It’s a blessing to be able to live in Canada, where we can speak freely and do these protests. The police don’t interfere and arrest people just for speaking out, like they have done in the US. They are there to protect everyone, no matter what side you are on.
However, some things have happened that I don’t agree with. One time at a protest, there were some people holding a Canadian flag, and they burned it. They were angry at the Canadian government for not supporting the Palestinian people and for aiding Israel. I completely disagree with this act. There are other ways to reach out and try to get the government to help Palestine.
Unfortunately, the Canadian government has not shown support for Palestine in the way that we would all like to see. My uncle, who passed away in Gaza, was trying to come to Canada before they killed him. I was trying to help him apply to come here. I even spoke with the MP multiple times, but in the end, they told me that Canada has stopped accepting people from Gaza. They are also funding Israel, and the Prime Minister himself has said that he is a Zionist.
How can our readership better support Palestinians in their day-to-day lives?
They don’t have to do much, they just have to be the people that we always knew who would stand for human rights. It’s not hard to know that what is happening is wrong — there have been up to 20,000 children murdered.
Canada’s Complicity in the Genocide
Canada continues to be complicit in multiple key areas of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. While criticizing Canada’s halting of aid to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) and providing millions of dollars of weapons to Israel, critics have also condemned Canada’s Temporary Resident Visa Programme (TRV) for Gazans for imposing heavy restrictions on Palestinians seeking to flee to Canada. The TRV’s cap of 5,000 applicants, as well as its multiple requirements, have been contrasted with Canada’s program for Ukrainian refugees, whose fewer requirements and greater benefits constitute a great contradiction on Canada’s part.
Despite the 5,000-person limit, according to the Canadian government, only 1,000 Palestinians have been formally accepted, and only 616 have arrived in the country. Even after lobbying and protest, Canadian authorities have systematically denied Gazans like Nour’s uncle an opportunity to escape Israel’s violence, and Canada’s failings have ultimately cost them their lives.
Looking Forward Toward Justice
While the genocide in Gaza continues, the tide of public opinion has shifted. The majority of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide, and even more are against the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It seems more and more Canadians are connecting the dots between the settler-colonial elements visible in Israel and the experiences of ongoing marginalization of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Additionally, boycotts against companies complicit in Israel’s crimes against humanity continue. In particular, the boycotts secured the partial divestment of Scotiabank from Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems for their role in providing key weaponry and logistics to the Israeli military. Protests raising awareness continue to occur across Canada and the rest of the world.
Palestinian journalist Rita Baroud shared with The New Humanitarian, “I am so exhausted about writing or telling others how we are living our life. But I believe that my words can change something.” Despite Israel’s campaign in Gaza resulting in the murder of tens of thousands of children, the sad reality of the media landscape is that Palestinians repeatedly relive their suffering to be heard. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration must listen to testimonies from Palestinians and Canadians calling for action until Canada’s opposition to the genocide is too loud to ignore.
As Palestinian poet Omar al-Akkad’s slogan says, “One day, everyone will have been against this.”
Edited by Gabrielle Andrychuk
