Manitobans who have been waiting for nearly two years for visas to bring their family members in Gaza to safety say delays with Canada's special measures program have left their loved ones in dire conditions as paperwork and unanswered questions continue to pile up.
Winnipeg resident Hafsaa Abuaassi's family has been trapped in the war zone since the fighting began more than two years ago.
Her brother and brother-in-law were killed by Israeli airstrikes in December 2023, when they were travelling between two family homes in central Gaza to collect food.
Her father survived the attack, but he has been waiting alongside Abuaassi's mother and siblings for Canadian visas since the government introduced its special measures program in January 2024, which allows citizens or permanent residents to bring extended family members in Gaza to Canada under temporary resident visas.
"I want to see my family here," said Abuaassi, who moved to Canada in 2022.
Earlier this month,
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