After months of living ‘between life and death’, a family from Gaza arrives in Ottawa

After waiting more than half a year for their visas, a family fleeing the war in Gaza has finally arrived in Ottawa.

Mohammed, 42, and Ghadir Alrayyes, 33, now live with their five children in Mohammed’s sister’s house in Nepean.

CBC sat down with the family Friday, who had arrived a week earlier. They said their last six months had been filled with anxiety — and it was extremely difficult to navigate that with three-month-olds and one with disabilities.

Since the parents did not speak English, Mohammed’s cousin Lana Alrayyes translated for them.

“At any moment it was a matter of life and death… (at) any moment a bomb could fall,” she said.

The family had to ration food, water, formula, diapers and at one point were living in a tent, sometimes being displaced every five days, she said.

“It was terrifying.”

Palestinians wait to cross at the Rafah border crossing in October. The Alrayyes family crossed into Egypt in March and spent the next few months waiting in Egypt. (Fatima Shbair/The Associated Press)

Application for extended family visa

With the help of Mohammed’s sister Ola in Canada, the family applied for the expanded family visa program, which was launched by the federal government in January.

This visa allows them to stay in Canada for three years.

In June, Immigration Minister Marc Miller increased the number of available visas from 1,000 to 5,000. But at the time of that announcement, only 41 people had come to Canada under the program.

While the Alrayyes family waited to be admitted, they traveled to Cairo in March to escape the horrors.

“They left with all their savings, even what they had was sometimes not enough,” Lana said.

To cross the Rafah border, Mohammed said it cost $5,000 US per adult and $2,500 per child. It was a necessary expense, he added, because there was no milk, diapers or other crucial supplies for their children in Gaza.

One of the biggest challenges was the lack of medical care, he said.

Because their eldest daughter has a physical disability, she often had to go to the hospital for treatment, but their regular hospital was bombed and collapsed, as were several others.

“She was very close to passing, and they didn’t know what to do at that point. Their hands were tied — it was a very difficult time,” Lana said.

Lana Alrayyes, Mohammed’s cousin, said the family fled with all their savings — and even then, sometimes it wasn’t enough. (Nick Persaud/CBC)

A ‘great wish’ came true

When the family heard they were going to Canada, it was “like a big wish come true,” Lana said.

Mohammed said that since their arrival, their children have been able to sleep through the night without fear.

“Because they knew there would be no more bombs falling in the middle of the night, they didn’t have to wake up every two to three minutes,” Lana said.

Still, challenges remain: The family said they still haven’t been able to get health care for their oldest daughter. While there have been challenges getting coverage through the federal program, they hope those can be resolved in the near future.

Lana said they hope the family’s children will go to school and Mohammed will be granted a work visa so they can “get their lives back to normal and have a fresh start.”

Mohammed’s sister Ola says she is happy she was able to help them escape the war, but she also thinks of her friends and other family members who are still trying to survive.

“There are two million people in Gaza. They are not as lucky as they are,” she said.

She said she wants the federal government to do more to end the war while preventing victims from losing all their savings if they try to flee.

“It’s not about us. It’s about all the people in Gaza,” she said. “We want to help all of them.”