Heartbreak and Hope: 'Please Save My Brother' – A Palestinian-Canadian's Urgent Plea from Gaza

In a desperate plea echoing across continents, Palestinian-Canadian Ola El-Sayed is imploring Global Affairs Canada to intervene and secure the immediate evacuation of her brother, Hamam, from the besieged Gaza Strip. Hamam, a 30-year-old, is battling a rare and aggressive brain tumour that is rapidly stealing his health, his senses, and his future.

With Gaza's healthcare system in tatters, the window for life-saving surgery is closing fast.

Hamam's ordeal began tragically last summer when he was diagnosed with a pineal gland tumour. While the initial diagnosis was devastating, the hope of treatment sustained the family. However, as the conflict intensified, access to specialized medical care within Gaza became virtually impossible.

His condition has deteriorated sharply; he is now experiencing severe headaches, dizziness, and a alarming loss of vision and hearing, symptoms indicative of the tumour's aggressive progression and the critical pressure it exerts on his brain.

Ola describes a harrowing situation where her brother's life hangs by a thread, with each passing day exacerbating his suffering.

The medical facilities required for such a complex neurosurgical procedure, let alone post-operative care, are simply non-existent in a region devastated by conflict, where hospitals are overwhelmed and essential supplies are scarce or non-existent. This leaves Hamam in a desperate limbo, unable to receive the urgent intervention that could save his life.

Adding to the agonizing complexity is the family's Canadian connection.

Ola herself, along with her parents, are Canadian citizens. Hamam, while eligible for Canadian citizenship, had not yet completed the application process before the current crisis erupted, leaving him without the official status that might facilitate his exit. This bureaucratic hurdle, combined with the stringent controls on movement in and out of Gaza, has created an almost insurmountable barrier to his evacuation.

Ola has been relentlessly advocating for her brother, sending countless emails and making desperate calls to Global Affairs Canada, providing medical reports and detailing the urgent need.

She feels a profound responsibility, stating, "I'm Canadian. My parents are Canadian. He is my brother, and I feel responsible to save him." The family's parents are currently in Gaza with Hamam, enduring the unimaginable stress of watching their son suffer, while also navigating the daily dangers of the conflict.

Global Affairs Canada has acknowledged their awareness of the situation, stating they are providing consular assistance to Canadians and their families in Gaza.

However, they emphasize that they do not control who can enter or exit the Gaza Strip. For Ola, this standard response offers little solace against the backdrop of her brother's rapidly declining health and the ticking clock for his survival.

The emotional toll on Ola and her family is immense.

Her parents live in constant fear for Hamam's life, compounded by the anxieties of war. Ola's voice, thick with emotion, encapsulates the family's plea: "Please save my brother. It's a matter of life or death." Their story is a stark reminder of the devastating human cost of conflict and the fundamental right to medical care, especially when lives are hanging in the balance.

The family clings to the hope that a compassionate intervention will open the door to Hamam's urgent evacuation and the life-saving treatment he so desperately needs.