'I FEEL SAFE'

Palestinian girl, two brothers join family in Toronto after mother was killed in Gaza

- JASON MILLER

Nahed El-Khalidy hugs and kisses his five-year-old grandson, Izzeddin Doghmosh, at Pearson airport on Saturday.

Five-year-old Izzeddin Doghmosh excitedly climbed to his grandfather over a glass barricade at Pearson airport Saturday after arriving with his young brother and sister following a long journey from the war-torn Gaza Strip.

“My beloved, pappa!” the youngster cried as his grandfather reached to take him in his arms.

The three Palestinian children, whose mother was killed last November during the Israeli war effort in Gaza, were brought to Canada to be reunited with family members, thanks to local charity Islamic Relief Canada.

Nahed El-Khalidy embraced his jubilant grandson, showering him with kisses and the endearment “Habibi, habibi, habibi,” an Arabic term meaning “my beloved.”

Right: Silina Doghmosh's face bears the scars of a bombardment that destroyed the child's home in northern Gaza. Her aunt says the seven-year-old will require surgery to restore vision in one of her eyes.

The elated grandfather then reached for his seven-year-old granddaughter, Silina, whose face bears the scars of a bombardment that destroyed the child’s home in northern Gaza, killing her mother Caroline El-Khalidy and displacing her family.