The reunion of a Palestinian family in Quebec | Middle East, the eternal conflict

Zakaria Helles still finds it hard to believe that he can hold his wife and five children. Separated due to the war between Israel and Hamas for nearly nine months, the Helles family was reunited in Quebec on June 24.

Mr. Helles arrived in Quebec as a visiting professor in civil engineering at Laval University last August. For five days, he has said he is blessed by the gods.

months under bombing”,”text”:”It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve waited so long for this moment. [Ils] suffered nine months under the bombings”}}”>It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. [Ils] suffered nine months under the bombingshe says, surrounded by his children aged 1 to 12 and his wife, Islam.

Months of anguish and suffering

The life of the Helles family was turned upside down on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas attack left more than 1,100 people dead on the Israeli side. In response, the Jewish state launched an offensive which ravaged the Gaza Strip and killed thousands of civilians. At least 37,834 Palestinians were killed, according to local authorities.

Before the attack, Zakaria Helles was trying to repatriate his family to Canada. He was supposed to return home in November, but the conflict disrupted his plans and the family has been separated ever since.

During these long months of anguish, endless waiting and of horrorthe suffering of his family was totalaccording to him. He claims that their house was destroyed in Israeli bombings and that his family had to flee to the south of the Gaza Strip, where they escaped death. on more than one occasion.

They fled just before the bombing, leaving everything behind except clothes.he says.

They lacked everything. They suffered from lack of food, drinking water… they suffered for two to three months from severe diarrhea due to contaminated water.

Little Razan, born a year ago, was particularly weakened. Her mother, Islam, did not eat enough to produce breast milk, the father says.

It was on June 24 that the Helles family’s wishes were granted. Islam and her five children got off a plane in Quebec, on a flight from Cairo, Egypt.

We were very lucky. I thanked God, all my friends, my acquaintances, in Quebec, in Gaza rejoices the father.

Zakariah Helles is filled with admiration for his wife who protected their children for five months. : \”your wife is a superwoman\”. I said: \”yes\”.”,”text”:”[À l’aéroport] someone said to me: \”your wife is a superwoman\”. I said: \”yes\”.”}}”>[À l’aéroport] someone said to me: “your wife is a superwoman“. I said yes”.

New life

In December, Ottawa established a temporary visa program for relatives of Canadians stranded in the Gaza Strip.

Canada aims to analyze up to 5,000 applications from Palestinians. As of June 22, 108 people had been able to come to the country thanks to this program which is not recognized by the State of Israel, according to what Minister Marc Miller said in May.

Currently, the Rafah border crossing is closed wrote Matthew Krupovich, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in an email.

Canada continues to submit the names of those who pass preliminary admissibility and admissibility screenings to local authorities for approval, but it does not make the final decision on who can leave Gaza.he adds.

Now settled in the Limoilou district of Quebec, Zakaria Helles wants to start a new life here. There is no question for him and his family of returning to Gaza, where he believes he has lost everything.

Quebec is my home, my country […] We love Quebec.

The Helles family had to turn to work permits, study permits and visitor visas to come to the country. Over the next few months, the parents and their children will have to regularize their status.

With the collaboration of Camille Carpentier