Since October 7, 2023, Nariman Ajjur has been consumed by a relentless tide of anxiety and grief for her family and homeland. Each morning, she wakes to the glow of her phone, bracing for the next tragedy that might unfold. One day, she received the devastating news of her brother Mohamad’s death. The following day, it was her grandmother. In the days that followed, she faced the heartbreaking loss of her uncle, her aunt, four cousins, and numerous distant relatives.
Ajjur is a member of the Vancouver Palestinian community, and she has shared her experiences since the war began. She has faced the anguish of losing contact with her family and grapples with uncertainty about her own safety. Shortly before the war on Gaza commenced, Ajjur gave birth, and she carried her baby girl with her to every rally, passionately organizing efforts to support her people. “I bring my daughter to each rally and fundraiser as a symbol of hope, born amid grief and sorrow, teaching her the importance of standing up for our Palestinian community,” she expressed.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2024, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of around 250 individuals to Gaza. In response, according to Al Jazeera English, the Israeli government assaulted Gaza, which has been leading to the deaths of around 41,615 Gazans, including nearly 16,500 children. Additionally, more than 96,359 people were injured, and over 10,000 were reported missing so far.
Ajjur, like many other Palestinians, understood that her homeland would face significant challenges, especially after Israeli senior military officials and politicians enacted the complete the siege of Gaza.
Ajjur recounted the tragic death of her brother Mohamed, who was displaced to Rafah in search of safety for his family. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike, while his wife and two-year-old son sustained injuries. His son has since been diagnosed with malnutrition, and his wife, who requires surgery, remains on a waitlist due to the overwhelming medical crisis. On the same day, Mohamed’s wife also lost her father and four brothers.
Hazem Almasri, another Canadian Palestinian healthcare professional living in Kitchener, ON, expresses his deep concern for his family and the Palestinian people following the Israeli government’s attacks on Gaza.
Almasri lost one of his nieces in an Israeli bombardment, and his brother lost his home, clinic, and all of his belongings. For him, a good day is defined by waking up without hearing news of family or relatives who have died while his people endure immense suffering, and parts of the country lie in ruins.
“This year has been one of the toughest for me and all Palestinians,” Almasri stated. “There have been several days when I couldn’t reach my family. Power outages and disrupted networks made it incredibly stressful. Each day without contact felt like an eternity, and the worry was hard to bear.”
Almasri also shared the ongoing struggles faced by his family. “A year without electricity has transformed their nights into a nightmare, engulfed in darkness. Prices have skyrocketed, leaving them grappling with shortages of essential supplies. They lack necessities such as clean water, food, and medicine,” he explained.
Dyala Hamzah, a Canadian Palestinian professor of history at the University of Montreal, expressed her feelings about the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza: losing contact with loved ones and feeling helpless to ensure their safety is an emotion that is impossible to manage.
“It shreds their psyche to pieces; it invades their meetings and haunts them at night in their sleepless hours. It accompanies them at the stove, in the bathroom…,” she said. “Incredulity morphs into bottomless anger—directed not at political enemies, but at friends who exhibit apathy, indifference, or only qualified concern. Israel’s genocide has also become the graveyard of countless friendships.”
B.H. Yael, a Jewish advocate for Palestinian rights, is a Toronto-based filmmaker and installation artist, as well as a professor of Integrated Media at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University. For decades, she has championed the cause of Palestinian rights. Since October 7, she has observed a rise in widespread support for Palestinians, accompanied by intensified repression and silencing of their dispossession and history of resistance.
“What is most disturbing is seeing the institutions charged with promoting and protecting our civil rights caving to groups that seek to silence criticism of Israel,” she said. “This includes educational institutions, law enforcement, media outlets, health and medical organizations, and various other places of employment.”
Targeted and Ignored: Facing Bullying and Harassment
Members of the Canadian Palestinian community report experiencing bullying and harassment, with perpetrators acting openly and without consequence. Ajjur noted that despite enduring significant stress during her postpartum period, she continues to encounter bullying and harassment in her daily activities.
“I have faced anti-Palestinian acts,” she said. “If I wear my keffiyeh or display the ‘Free Palestine’ sign on the back of my car during peaceful events, we are met with cursing and derogatory remarks.”
Reports indicate that pro-Palestinian protesters, like Ajjur, have faced bullying and threats since October 2023.
Hamzah stated that pro-Israeli individuals have bullied protesters.
“This year has mostly seen a hysterical rise of Zionist attacks against students, faculty, civil servants, and civil society as a whole. The Israel lobby of Canada is out of control; it is as if it is on steroids. The damage it is doing in academia is permanent damage to the fabric of universities, to their values, and to their basic mission,” said Hamzah.
“Government’s failure to reunite Canadians with their Palestinian families”
On January 9, 2024, the Canadian government began accepting applications from Palestinian Canadians for a three-year temporary residency program for their relatives in Gaza.
The announcement of a visa program for Palestinians offers a glimmer of hope and may help alleviate their stress and sorrow. However, it still faces significant difficulties and barriers, remaining the most limited option of its kind, even more so than any similar humanitarian alternatives. It was also a sponsorship program where people would pay all costs, including visa fees, for their relatives and would not cost the Canadian government a dime.
Ajjur was one of those Palestinins who applied to bring her family to Canada, but as she said none of them were allowed to come. Despite nine months passing, the Canadian government has not facilitated the reunification of Canadians with their relatives in Gaza, leaving families like Ajjur’s in a state of distress as they endure ongoing losses.
“Before and after the launch of the program, I have been tirelessly reaching out to Members of parliament and politicians, advocating for my family’s evacuation, but so far, nothing has changed,“ he continued. “It has been nine months now and Canada hasn’t been able to evacuate any of our family members from Gaza.”
Almasri also applied for his family, but similar to Ajjur his family is still stuck.
“There is discrimination between Palestinians and other immigrants as Canada accepts Ukrainians but not Palestinians,” he said. “It’s disheartening to see others receive help while my family faces delays. It raises feelings of frustration and questions about fairness in the system,” he said.
Mainstream Media’s Oversight of Palestinian Voices
Ajjur expressed a sense of neglect regarding the plight of Palestinians, particularly those with families in Gaza. The coverage and support seem disproportionate and unbalanced compared to other global crises, leading to feelings of being overlooked and marginalized. In contrast, Hamzah asserted that Palestinians are not simply being neglected.
“They are being actively, viciously expelled from the family of nations and willfully abandoned to their own devices, like any animal species that has been declared ‘extinct’ or ‘on the brink of extinction,’” she said.
“Canada’s designed-to-fail “visa program” for Gazans did not even pretend to disguise its continued arms trade with a genocidal state,” Hamzah said.
Despite Media Silence Hope Rises for Palestinian Awareness
Yael explained that Palestinians have long struggled to make their history visible on a larger stage. Since October 2023, Israel’s ongoing violence has laid bare the extent of the atrocities and violations against them. While public support for Palestinian human rights has grown, institutions that disseminate knowledge are attempting to suppress these histories and defend Israel, despite clear evidence that killing civilians and the ongoing occupation violate international law.
Amid these challenges, Ajjur remains optimistic about the unprecedented support from Canadians.
“This year has seen more vocal and widespread support from the Canadian community, encompassing all backgrounds and faiths, which has had a meaningful impact in raising awareness and garnering support,” she stated.
Dyala expressed her disappointment over Israeli control of educational institutions, highlighting the changes in Palestinian rallies and advocacy.
“This year, we’ve seen more advocacy for Palestine in Canada than in previous years because we are witnessing the first televised and online genocide unfolding before everyone’s eyes. The alignment of global social justice struggles and human rights campaigns has been strengthened by the exposure of crimes against humanity and war crimes being committed live,” she said.
Essential steps that should be taken
Yael, a professor at OCAD University, outlined several essential steps for supporting Palestinians:
Speak Up: Canadians should openly advocate for Palestinians in all venues—engaging with elected officials, speaking in public forums, and interacting with the media.
Document Racism: It is crucial to record and publicize instances of anti-Palestinian racism and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims, just as with anti-Jewish racism.
Reject Mislabeling Criticism: Canadians must reject policies that label criticism of Israel as antisemitism.
Protect Free Speech: Safeguarding the right to speak freely is essential. Recent reports of police visiting lawyer Joanna Berry regarding her social media posts serve as a stark reminder of this importance.
Stay Alert: Canadians need to remain vigilant to protect their free speech rights, which can be eroded gradually or suddenly.
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