Hamilton residents with family in Gaza say they're desperate to help them as airstrikes continue

The last two weeks have felt like years for Hamilton resident Riham Alsharif, whose family in Gaza is stranded with no clean water and dwindling food as airstrikes continue. 

Alsharif, who arrived in Hamilton as a refugee in 2016 and is now a Canadian citizen, said her mother, father, aunt, sister and cousin and their combined seven children —  all under the age of 10 — fled Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood, walking 15 kilometres south to Nuseirat Camp in search of safety. 

As of last week, they were sheltering in an unfinished building that shakes every time an airstrike hits the area, Alsharif told CBC Hamilton. The children were screaming and crying and her father and mother were without their heart and blood pressure medications. 

"I'm not sleeping, all day, all night, I'm trying to reach them," said Alsharif last week, crying. "I feel so bad when I eat anything and my mom and dad are not eating anything. It's a nightmare right now."

Like many Canadians with loved ones in Gaza, she's desperate to help her family, emailing churches and elected officials to see if someone can help get them out of Gaza, either to Egypt or Canada. 

"There's no life over there, " she said. "I just want to try to keep them safe." 

Israeli airstrikes have pounded Gaza since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing Israeli civilians and taking about 200 hostages into Gaza.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, according to the Israeli government.

More than 4,137 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian officials say.

Israeli officials have said they'll continue the attack in Gaza until the hostages are released. Hamas has continued to fire rockets into Israel.

Alsharif's father, Mohammed, a 70-year-old veterinarian, told CBC Hamilton in a phone interview last week that everything around them appears to be destroyed, as far as they can see. He and his family dread each "terrible, terrible" night sleeping on the sandy earth. Without power, they lay in darkness as they hear bombs pummel Gaza. 

Food is also running out. His wife waited for hours in line to buy bread at the only store open in the area, Mohammed said in a phone interview. They eat once a day.

"We have nothing," he said. "We want safety. We want a normal life." 

Aid workers have warned Gaza is near complete collapse with decreasing water and medicine supplies and power running out at hospitals.