The Canadian Peace Alliance has joined the call by Palestinian physician Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish to bring 100 seriously wounded children from Gaza to Canada for desperately needed medical treatment.
Dr. Abuelaish is the author of I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey, an account of the deaths of his daughters, Bessan, Mayar and Aya, and his niece, Nur, who were killed by an Israeli tank shell during Operation Cast Lead in 2009. An internationally recognized humanitarian, Dr. Abuelaish is currently based at the University of Toronto.
“Almost three thousand children are among the thousands of people wounded in Gaza,” says Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “Gaza’s hospitals can’t keep up, and many have been damaged by Israeli airstrikes. By contrast, Canada is well-equipped to treat 100 children, if not more.”
Heal100Kids has been endorsed by Ontario’s Ministry of Health, the federal leaders of the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, and a growing number of labour and civil society organizations. It has also attracted widespread support from the general public.
“Our members are deeply concerned about the devastating health crisis in Gaza, which is why we support this initiative,” says Leo Broderick, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “Canada must open its doors to these children. Any further delay by the federal government will only exacerbate their suffering.”
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For more information, contact: info@canadianpeace.org
The Canadian Peace Alliance is the largest umbrella peace organization in Canada.