--- title: "Canadians with Gaza ties face pain three years into conflict" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-10-07T11:45:35.833Z" source_reported: "2026-10-07T08:01:24.000Z" updated: "2026-10-07T11:45:35.833Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-07T13:00:19.761021+00:00" --- # Canadians with Gaza ties face pain three years into conflict *Families describe bureaucratic hurdles, loss of life and ongoing humanitarian crisis.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. One full report with named sources and specific details, corroborated by 19 digests. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. The full report includes personal accounts and quotes from affected individuals and officials. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The headline and digests use measured language, focusing on the human impact of the conflict. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Canadians with connections to the Middle East are marking three years since the start of the Gaza war by sharing their ongoing struggles. - Salomy Abusalim's husband remains trapped in Gaza due to bureaucratic issues, having experienced severe food shortages. - An aid worker, Jacob Flickinger, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in April 2024, with Israel's military prosecutor deciding against a criminal investigation. - Hassan Haidar, a Canadian from Windsor, Ontario, was killed in southern Lebanon by what his family states was an unprovoked Israeli drone strike. Three years after the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, Canadians with ties to the region are describing the enduring pain and hardship they face. Families are navigating bureaucratic obstacles that prevent loved ones from leaving Gaza, grieving relatives killed in the conflict, and witnessing a severe humanitarian crisis. Edmonton resident Salomy Abusalim's husband, Saed, has been unable to leave Gaza due to bureaucratic difficulties. Abusalim stated that her husband experienced three months of starvation. Saed had applied for permanent residency in Canada years ago, but his biometrics appointment, scheduled for October 10, 2023, was disrupted by the outbreak of war three days prior. Abusalim reported that Egyptian officials refused her husband entry when he was on a list of approved Canadians to leave Gaza in January 2024, and later demanded bribes. Canada has not issued Saed's visa document as he cannot complete biometric screening in Gaza, and unlike some European nations, Canada has not facilitated an exit through Israel for visa applicants. The conflict has also led to the deaths of Canadians. Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old veteran, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in April 2024 while on an aid mission with World Central Kitchen. Israel's military prosecutor decided against a criminal investigation into his death and that of six other aid workers. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called this decision unacceptable. In April 2026, Hassan Haidar, from Windsor, Ontario, was killed on a family horse farm in southern Lebanon by what his family described as an unprovoked Israeli drone strike. The Israeli military stated it could not provide details on the incident. ## Disagreements in reporting Reports differ on the circumstances of Jacob Flickinger's death. City News states that Israel's military prosecutor decided against a criminal investigation into the killing of Flickinger and six other aid workers. The same report notes that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called that finding unacceptable, arguing there were serious failures in the conduct of the strike and pledging to continue pressing for a full accounting. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the Israeli military's stated reason for its actions in Lebanon, which Israel says is aimed at routing Hezbollah. ## Who covered it Shares of the 21 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 62% (13) - Centre: 38% (8) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 23 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-07T13:00:19.761021+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-07T13:45:07.502Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports highlighted the humanitarian crisis and the impact on families. Salomy Abusalim's account of her husband's starvation and entrapment in Gaza due to bureaucratic difficulties was a central focus. These reports also detailed the death of aid worker Jacob Flickinger, noting that Israel's military prosecutor decided against a criminal investigation into his killing and that of six other aid workers. The reports included Abusalim's statement that Israel had drastically restricted aid flow to Gaza and imposed tight restrictions on humanitarian organisations. The killing of Hassan Haidar in Lebanon by what his family called an unprovoked Israeli drone was also reported. The left-rated reports quoted Abusalim saying, "It’s been eight years since my son held his dad, or smelled him and hugged him," and her mother's statement, "This is killing me as a mom." ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the personal stories of Canadians affected by the conflict. Salomy Abusalim's husband's situation in Gaza, including his experience of starvation and the bureaucratic hurdles preventing his departure, was a key element. The reports also covered the death of aid worker Jacob Flickinger and the decision by Israel's military prosecutor not to pursue a criminal investigation. The killing of Hassan Haidar in Lebanon was also mentioned. Centre-rated reports quoted Abusalim stating, "This is killing me as a mom. I can't keep going on, lying to him," and her description of her husband being "starving, literally starving." ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 11 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 10 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Narcity](https://narcity.com/oct-7-three-years-of-pain-for-mideast-relatives) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/politics/federal/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east/article_3b6deabf-f934-5720-9db9-94c8a4b450a5.html) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Rocky Mountain Outlook](https://rmoutlook.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [SooToday.com](https://sootoday.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Airdrie City View](https://airdriecityview.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Orillia Matters](https://orilliamatters.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [City News](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Collingwood Today](https://collingwoodtoday.ca/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Thorold Today](https://thoroldtoday.ca/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Battlefords NOW](https://battlefordsnow.com/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [meadowlakeNOW](https://meadowlakenow.com/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Sudbury](https://sudbury.com/national/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Bay Today](https://baytoday.ca/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [CFJC Today Kamloops](https://cfjctoday.com/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Medicine Hat News](https://medicinehatnews.com/news/national-news/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Loonie Politics](https://looniepolitics.com/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Timmins Today](https://timminstoday.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [thealbertan.com](https://thealbertan.com/alberta-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866015) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Ckpg Today](https://ckpgtoday.ca/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [flamboroughtoday.com](https://flamboroughtoday.com/national-news/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east-12866026) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/canada/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east/article_2bea895b-9f70-5159-b1bc-99c82fdcd377.html) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/canada/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east/article_0d80c8ce-aeeb-596f-9337-95707072fb63.html) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/canada/2026/10/07/anniversary-of-gaza-war-marks-3-years-of-pain-for-canadians-with-ties-to-middle-east) — Anniversary of Gaza war marks 3 years of pain for Canadians with ties to Middle East ## Questions **Why is Salomy Abusalim's husband still in Gaza?** Salomy Abusalim's husband, Saed, remains trapped in Gaza due to bureaucratic difficulties. He was unable to complete biometric screening required for his Canadian visa application because it cannot be done within Gaza. Attempts to leave through Egypt were also unsuccessful, with Egyptian officials reportedly refusing entry and demanding bribes. **What happened to aid worker Jacob Flickinger?** Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old aid worker, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in April 2024 while on a World Central Kitchen mission. Despite the incident, Israel's military prosecutor decided against a criminal investigation into his death and that of six other aid workers, a decision Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister called unacceptable. **How long has Salomy Abusalim's husband been without food?** Salomy Abusalim stated that her husband experienced three months of starvation and did not have food at all during that period. This severe deprivation occurred while he was trapped in Gaza due to bureaucratic issues preventing his departure. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Canadians with Gaza ties face pain three years into conflict", https://mediabias.news/conflict/canadians-with-gaza-ties-face-pain-three-years-into-conflict