As Israel prepares to step up the conflict in Gaza, advocates rallied in Vancouver in an effort to press the federal government to speed up efforts to help Palestinians reunite with family members in Canada.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offices on Hornby Street, where they accused Ottawa of falling short of its promises to help those facing starvation and violence in Gaza.
Speakers described losing family members and horrific conditions as the conflict approaches its two-year anniversary.
Ottawa announced in December 2023 it would accept 7,500 Palestinians from Gaza who have families in Canada, with a program offering work and study permits and temporary residence status, said Nariman Ajjur.
But despite applicants being cleared for eligibility and passing security and background checks, Canada appears unwilling to act swiftly the way it did to welcome Ukrainian refugees, she said.
“But almost two years now, the reality is starkly different. Zero evacuation have been directly facilitated by Canada. Through this program, fewer than 1,000 Palestinians have made it to Canada, most having to risk everything to escape on their own, and paying bribes to companies in Egypt,” she said.
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“Meanwhile, Canada has processed over 8,000 visas for Israelis and welcomed more than 298,000 Ukrainians.”
Advocates for Palestinians have been staging sit-ins outside IRCC offices across the country for weeks, demanding the evacuation of family members and loved ones.
Organizers said the countries like France and Germany have demonstrated that the evacuation and reunification of families from Gaza can be completed successfully.
Mohammed Zaqout told Global News that his mother, three brothers and in-laws remain stranded in Gaza, despite being enrolled in the Canadian program.
“We have done everything right and answered all the questions … including information about scars and just a whole humiliating process that was really awkward and weird,” he said.
“And they received codes, those codes we were told are kind of their pathway out … so we have been waiting for Canada to evacuate our family, to basically get them to somewhere where they can do their biometrics and hopefully get their visa.”
In a statement, IRCC said that physical security screening can only be completed after people leave Gaza, as it has no formal presence in the territory.
It said it continues to work closely with local authorities to advocate the safety of people in Gaza.
Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily-populated areas after ceasefire talks broke down last month.
The Israeli military says it plans to call up 60,000 reservists for the operation, which officials say will target Hamas’ underground tunnel network.
It comes as negotiators scramble to get Israel and Hamas to agree to end their 22 months of fighting, and as rights groups warn that an expanded assault could deepen the crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of the roughly 2 million inhabitants have been displaced, many areas have been reduced to rubble, and the population faces the threat of famine.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that precipitated the conflict. More than half of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel’s offensive has killed around 61,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
–with files from the Associated Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
