Lebanese Albertans are desperately trying to get their loved ones to safety as Israel intensifies its airstrikes and ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Nour Kanafani’s parents and siblings live in a suburb of Beirut that was bombed by Israeli forces this week.
“They are now displaced, hiding in the mountains, expecting strikes every day and no one knows what the next step will be,” she said from her home in Calgary.
“They just live moment to moment.”
Kanafani is trying to get them to Canada, but he said it is difficult to book a flight and gather the appropriate documents in a war zone.
She added: “We hope that the Canadian government can help, and we also demand a ceasefire and something to be done. Innocent people are being killed every day.”
Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal said his constituency office has received numerous calls from Albertans concerned about their family members who remain in Lebanon.
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He said he urges everyone to try to get out while the airport is still open.
“The important thing is to get any documents ready, so we can help Canadians get out as soon as possible,” the Liberal MP said.
Chahal said: “We have already helped a lot of Canadians, even though the airport is open, and we hope to get many of them to safety, and we hope that we can reach a ceasefire and end the war.”
He did not say whether there were any plans for the federal government to send charter flights to assist in the evacuation.
Calgary’s Jewish community is also feeling the grip of anxiety and trying to stay in close contact with loved ones, in the wake of Iran’s massive ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.
Israel said it intercepted the majority of the weapons.
“I’m online with my parents, my cousins and my friends, making sure everyone is okay and everyone is there in the shelters,” said Ortal Luzon, an Israeli from Calgaria. “My husband’s parents don’t have a bomb shelter, so they’re hiding under the stairs.”
“It doesn’t leave you. It happens, and even though we’re here and they’re there, it’s a big part of our lives,” she said.
This week, communities around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah. But Lauzon said he told them to be vigilant.
“We are not doing less but we are certainly doing it more carefully, with more fear — we don’t feel like we can do it freely, but it will still get done, and that is the strength of who we are as a people,” she said.
Luzon said her greatest hope is peace. It is something that many agree is due to this conflict, but no one knows when or how it could happen.
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