'I can't sleep at night': Tragedies from Israel-Hamas war impacting families in Waterloo region

As the Israel-Hamas conflict ramps up, the tragedies of the war are strongly felt by residents in Waterloo Region.

Sahar El-Yaqoubi of Kitchener lost her brother, Khalil, in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza just over a week ago. A bomb struck the 42-year-old pharmacist's home, killing him.  

"When I received that news that he was killed, it was like a shock," El-Yaqoubi said. "We didn't imagine that it's so strong, or that horrible in Gaza."

Tensions in and around Gaza have intensified since the deadly civilian attacks in Israel carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7 which killed more than 1,400 Israelis. 

Israel has retaliated with attacks into Gaza, while cutting off access to things like fuel and water. Over 1,800 Palestinians have died since then. 

El-Yaqoubi said that she also lost her sister and two nephews in a 2014 Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Her sister had been nine months pregnant at the time. 

"People in Gaza, especially children, women, men — they deserve to have a chance to be treated as a human," said El-Yaqoubi of the conflict today. 

"They don't have water, they don't have electricity, they don't have Internet."

Her parents are currently in Gaza, but for the last couple of days she's been unable to speak to them. She mostly uses WhatsApp to communicate with family when there's Internet, but would try calling by phone too.    

"I can't explain my feeling," said El-Yaqoubi, choking up. "I can't sleep at night. Always waking, just checking the news. Waking up constantly to check the news. Maybe I can hear something. I don't know.... it's so hard to feel that maybe I'm going to lose them."   

'Great anger and disillusionment'

David Thomas, who lives in Ra'anana, Israel — but has family in Kitchener — said that since the recent conflict began, they've experienced two air raid sirens, during which they hide in bomb shelters. Ra'anana is approximately 90 kilometres from the Gaza border. 

Thomas said that "together with [their] neighbours when the siren goes off, [they] go down to the bomb shelter and wait and wait."

Thomas teaches English, and also runs a daycare with his wife. Since the attack last week, the daycare has been shut but they've been trying to live a normal life. 

"The atmosphere in and amongst the people that I talk to in the city is one of great anger and disillusionment," he said. 

"A lot of anger towards our own government, and disillusionment because, you know, I view myself as a liberal person, I believe in a two-state solution," he said, but added, "I don't feel that I want [Palestinians] to have their own country on my graveyard."