War between Israel, Hamas hits home among GTA residents with ties to the area

Peoplein the GTA with connections to Israel and Palestinian territoriesareforced to anxiously watch as violence escalates back home.

The Israeli government has formally declared war after Hamasfighters on Saturday unleashed a barrage of rockets and infiltrated southern Israeli towns during an unprecedented incursion from the Palestinian territory.

Israeli military forces launched air attacks on the Gaza Strip over the weekend and reported success on Monday in driving Hamas fighters out of communities that were overrun.

Civilians have paid a high price on both sides. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza in the deadliest raid into Israeli territory since Egypt and Syria's attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago. Palestinian militant groups claimed to be holding over 130 captives from the Israeli side.

Home to some two million people many of them Palestinianthe Gaza Strip has been run by Hamas since it seized control of the territory in 2007. However, an independentUN Human Rights commissionlast yearfound Israel has continued to occupy Gaza despite disengaging in 2005, by effectively controlling movement in and out of its borders and the supply of essentials like water andelectricity.

WATCH |Hamas attacks afailureat 'unprecedented scale,' sayssecurityexpert:

How Hamas caught Israeli defence off guard

1 year ago

Duration 8:29

Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation, discusses the internal and external geopolitical pressures that caused Israeli defence teams to overlook plans for the massive Hamas offensive that has launched a war and resulted in over 1,000 casualties so far.

CBC Toronto spoke about the impact of the conflict with people who have loved ones in the conflict areas or who haverushed back to Canada.

A flight out of Tel Aviv, bombing footage on TV

Most major airlines havesuspended service to TelAviv, making it difficult to get in or out of Israel. One flight arrived at Pearson airport Sunday evening.

Moti Sherersaid his return to Canada was over a week earlier than planned because the past few days made it "very unclear" what wouldhappen next. He was there to visitfamily and friends, as he does each year.

"It was very tense in Israel, it was very depressing and upsetting," said Sherer.

"The situation is really, really bad, the nation is in total shock."

Rivki Berkovits Rabinowitzsaid after trying for day, she felt lucky to have secured seats on a flight back to Toronto for herfamily, including her husband and theirthree children. They had been evacuated to a bomb shelter multiple times in the past few days. She said it was a struggle explain what was happening to her kids.

"This is like nothing we've ever experienced," said Rabinowitz.

In Mississauga,Nihad Abu Settehwatchedtelevisioncoverage of missiles strikingher home property back in Gaza. She's received word that a family member has died in a bomb attack.

Setteh, aPalestinian and doctor,said she was supposed to go backnext week after getting clearance fromthe World Health Organization to provide humanitarian medical work. But with the ongoing conflict, she said it's now "impossible" to go home.

"My family is there, [my] house is there, anything can happen and I don't have access," said Setteh.

"It is very frustrating for me ... very sad."

Hamed Abu Sitta, Setteh's husband, said the current conflict is rooted in Israel's permanent military presence in the Gaza.

"It's a political problem," said Sitta. "We need agreement, we need [a] solution," said Sitta.

Community groups condemn violence

To Richard Marceau, vice-president of external affairs and general counsel for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs,theloss and endangermentof hundreds of innocent livesis "incomprehensible." The attackbegan amid a Jewish holiday known as Simchat Torah.

"It is a reaction ofoutrage that the Jewish community is seeing here," said Marceau,a formerfederal member of parliament from Quebec.

Marceau, whose son is currently in a city near Gaza, said the group expects "everybodyfrom every community to strongly condemn what's happened."

"They are not only putting more Israelis at riskbut also Palestinians at risk,because as Israel has said ...there will be a response and the response will be difficult. It will be harsh," said Marceau.

"There's certainly a way to show support for Palestinians without condoning what happened."

In a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, theCoalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations condemned all forms of violence, saying the loss of civilian lives is "never acceptable."

It said violence of recent days"underscores the daily hardships faced by Palestinians, whether due to Israel's severe blockade of Gaza, persistent attacks on Palestinian civilians by settlers, or the unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories."

"A solution can only be achieved with the full participation of the Palestinian people, adherence to international law and an end to the occupation," reads the statement.

"Without these measures, we will continue to be trapped in an ongoing cycle of violence."