Lovin Palestine journalist Feras Omar, 24, is fighting for his life in Gaza as he battles a severe heart condition without access to the urgent surgery and medication he needs. His family is desperately trying to evacuate him to Canada before it’s too late.“His heart could stop any minute without the pacemaker surgery that he cannot get in Gaza,” a recent appeal for his case reads.Feras spoke to Lovin Malta in a recent interview alongside colleagues Fathi Eskafi and Bader Khatab, describing the grief and destruction they have endured since 7th October 2023. Of the three, only Khatab is now outside Gaza.“We’re trying really hard, but the Canadian government hasn’t helped. I can’t manage my health issues unless I leave Gaza,” Feras told Lovin Malta.A Family’s Fight to Save HimFeras’s brother, Omar Mansour, is leading a campaign to bring him to Canada, where Omar is a permanent resident and the rest of their family holds temporary visas. Omar has launched both a petition and a GoFundMe page to raise funds for medical and travel costs in the event that an evacuation is secured.“I have sat with officials in Ottawa. I have shown them every document. I have done every interview, filled out every form, passed every security check they asked for,” Omar wrote. “And yet, my family is still trapped in Gaza. Bombs over their heads. Hunger in their stomachs. Hope slipping away day by day while politicians pretend to care.”Feras remains in Gaza with his father, siblings, nieces, and nephews – all of whom have been approved under Canada’s Gaza Special Immigration Measures Program. Despite being eligible and security-cleared, not a single member of the family has been evacuated.Omar’s Fight from AfarWhile Feras battles for his life in Gaza, his brother Omar Mansour has been waging his own fight from Canada.Omar has lived and worked in Canada for the last 10 years, helping Canadian companies generate millions in revenue. In January of this year, as the military campaign raged on, he was laid off due to a drop in productivity.All the while, Omar is supporting his 24 family members financially in Gaza and paying for his sister’s cancer treatment in Egypt.The economic situation in Gaza has completely deteriorated. Cash is scarce, and basic goods are either unavailable or priced at up to 100 times their normal rates.Banking systems have collapsed, making transfers difficult and expensive. Omar often pays up to a 50% commission just to send money to his family, meaning that for every $1,000 he sends, they receive only $500.He’s also paid $120,000 in bribes to Egyptian officials get family members out. He managed to this by borrowing money from friends in Egypt who risked their lives and need repayment.Decades of his family’s savings have been depleted trying to keep everyone alive, and Omar urgently needs support to continue. To donate to his cause, click here.Promises Without ActionThe Canadian government has promised to reunite Gazan families like his through the Special Immigration Measures for Gaza. Yet since October 2023, not one evacuation has taken place, families say.Over 7,500 Palestinian Canadian families applied through the special program, but more than 300 people have died waiting.Last month, Omar staged sit-ins outside the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa to protest these unfulfilled promises.“I will sleep on the street if I must. I will fight until they coordinate with Israeli authorities and get my family out,” he said.The family has lived this nightmare before. Last year, their sister Rasha developed cancer. After Canada “refused to help,” Omar turned to the World Health Organisation, which managed to evacuate her. Today, she is safe. He fears Feras will not be as fortunate.“My brother is in the final stages of heart failure. He faints without warning. He is starving, weak, and trapped under siege,” Omar said. “We are doing everything in our power to get him out – but we can’t do it alone.”Gaza Under SiegeThe urgency of Feras’s condition reflects Gaza’s collapsing health system. Hospitals are in ruins, medications have run out, and even the most basic treatments are unavailable. The wider humanitarian crisis has left millions displaced and tens of thousands killed since 7th October 2023.Journalist Fathi Eskafi shared how he had tried to leave Gaza before the war began, but his efforts dissolved as borders closed. At one point he was asked to pay an unaffordable fee to cross. By the time he raised enough funds through a student support campaign, Israeli forces had taken control of the Rafah crossing, blocking his way out.“Countries around the world have saved thousands of Gazans,” Omar said, “but Canada announced this program for headlines, and then left us to die for votes.”A Race Against TimeFor Feras, the stakes could not be higher. Without surgery and medication, his life is hanging by a thread. His family continues to fight, petition, and plead – not just for him, but for all Gazans left waiting in silence.“My brother could die any minute,” Omar said. “We just need a chance to save him.”Click here for the petition, and here for the crowdfunding campaign. •