By Canadian Press

In what could be a Canadian first, Manitoba welcomes Gaza child seeking medical help

Jan 16, 2025 | 2:39 PM

WINNIPEG — A child from the Gaza Strip seeking medical treatment has arrived in Winnipeg — possibly the first such case in Canada since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew welcomed a boy and his mother at the Winnipeg airport today and says another Palestinian child will arrive in the province for treatment.

Kinew says it’s part of the Manitoban character “to help the innocent during times of conflict” and adds they can either return home when it’s safe or make Canada their new home.

Since the war started in October 2023, children have been sent from Gaza to Qatar, various European countries and the U.S. for medical care.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says there have been more than 110,000 injuries during the war, and one-third of the 46,000 killed have been children.

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The office of federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller has been asked how many children and family members from Gaza have been given visas to access medical care in Canada.

Kinew posted a photo on the platform X of himself welcoming the boy at the Winnipeg airport.

“We will support your right to return home when it is safe to do so. But if you decide to make your home here then we will ensure there’s a place for you so you can be a Manitoban and a Canadian too,” the premier wrote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press