A woman from Ottawa announced that many of her family members were killed in Gaza during an airstrike carried out by Israeli forces this week.

The Hamas movement, which Canada classifies as a terrorist entity, launched a widespread attack against Israel last Saturday, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. Israel declared war the following day and promised a response that "will echo for generations to come."

Hala Al-Sha'ar spoke on "CTV" on Friday morning to share her family's story. She said: "All Palestinian families had a feeling that something like this was coming; this is not something new for Palestinians; it has been ongoing for many years."

Al-Sha'ar added, "She lost 10 family members on her mother's side and six on her father's side, some of whom are only one and two years old."

She continued, "It has been an emotional journey filled with feelings that are beyond description; we feel trapped, we feel there is not much we can do; we can pray, we can share. We want to share our side of the story."

The Israeli army ordered civilians to evacuate the city of Gaza on Friday, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The United Nations stated that such mass displacement of about 1.1 million people could cause unimaginable humanitarian suffering, and the region is also affected by severe water shortages and a lack of medical supplies.

Al-Sha'ar said, "These are real people, these are people with families."

The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that more than 2,200 Palestinians have been killed, including 724 children, while the Israeli government stated that the Hamas attack has resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Israelis, most of whom are civilians.

Al-Sha'ar said, "It has been extremely difficult, and it's very hard to cope with," adding, "The children of Gaza are crying out, and the whole world is witnessing everything."

She added, "I feel like the world is turning a blind eye to the devastation in Gaza," emphasizing, "These are truly difficult times for all Palestinian families, all Arab families, and for the entire Muslim community, and the fact that we are watching this being broadcast live is extremely difficult."

Canadian officials this week stated that they plan to continue providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank, but Israel has also halted the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies into Gaza ahead of the planned ground assault.

While Hamas is classified as a terrorist entity by Canada and many other Western governments, Al-Sha'ar stated that it is important to separate them from the civilians in Gaza.

She continued, "I do not think that these children aged one or two or 15 are considered terrorists in the eyes of the world; ultimately, it is the civilians who bear the brunt of what is happening, regardless of what they think. This is the reality of the matter; the reality is that civilians are the ones paying the price."

Hala Al-Sha'ar's brother, Mohammad Al-Sha'ar, wrote in an email to CTV News, "The lives of these family members were unjustly cut short in an 'arbitrary airstrike' carried out by Israeli forces."

He wrote: "No one in this family belonged to Islamic Jihad or Hamas. There were no warnings for them, no text messages, no phone calls, or flyers sent to them."

He provided a list of the names of the family members who were killed:

Ameen Al-Agha – 61 years old

Sanaa Al-Agha – 52 years old

Mohannad Al-Agha – 30 years old

Moamen Al-Agha – 27 years old

Mamoun Al-Agha – 21 years old

Waseem Al-Agha – 19 years old

Sama Al-Agha – 15 years old

Yahya Al-Agha – 11 years old

Taleen Al-Agha – 2 years old

Aseel Al-Agha – 1 year old