The images and stories coming out of the war between Israel and Hamas are horrifying. Millions around the world have scrolled through the tragic scenes posted on social media with a growing sense of despair.
It鈥檚 easy to forget that amongst so much inhumanity, incredible acts of humanity are taking place. Like inside Gaza鈥檚 Al Shifa Hospital. There, to give those whose lives have barely begun a fighting chance.
Bader鈥檚 wife Rana and their three young daughters, who live in London, Ont., sat down with CTV鈥檚 W5 to discuss the complex emotions that this war has brought to the surface.
Rana says her parents鈥 home was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Her brother was killed. In 2014, she says her pregnant sister and two nephews were killed in a previous Israeli attack.
With her husband now caught in the conflict, Rana Bader admits she鈥檚 had far too many sleepless nights. 鈥淭his is a nightmare. I wake up many times during the night. I have so many nightmares,鈥 says the mother of three.
Due to electricity and connectivity issues, reaching her husband over the phone is a challenge. Rana can go days at a time without hearing from him.
An undated image of Dr. Ehab Bader. (Source: Rana Bader)
鈥淚t鈥檚 just calming to hear his voice that he is alive,鈥 says Rana. Like hundreds of other Canadians, Bader is trapped in Gaza. He travelled there in late September to help care for his father who鈥檚 in poor health.
Worried about being targeted, Bader doesn鈥檛 drive. Instead, he walks each day to Al Shifa hospital. His friends and medical colleagues in Canada have been left in awe at this remarkable courage amidst the carnage.
鈥淗e has decided that he is going to make the trek, the dangerous trek, to the hospital there every day and to treat as many babies and neonates as he can,鈥 notes Dr. Nabil Sultan, Bader鈥檚 close friend.
Sultan received a voice note from Bader this week, who shared that in Gaza, 鈥渨e don't feel safe at all at any time, any moment, anywhere you could be targeted. Regardless of who you are, civilian walking down the street, or at your house, or even leaving the hospital."
Ehab Bader and Nabil Sultan are shown in an image provided to 愛污传媒 by Nabil Sultan.
On the opposite end of this conflict, the family of Netta Epstein struggles to come to terms with the loss of a young man who was cherished by his loved ones.
On Oct. 7, Netta and his fianc茅e Irene Shavit were in their apartment in the Kfar Aza Kibbutz when Hamas militants broke into their apartment.
Netta sent his mother a text message that will stay with her for the rest of her life, 鈥淗e wrote, 鈥楾hey鈥檙e here, mommy.鈥 And that鈥檚 it. So he knew they were coming,鈥 recounts Netta鈥檚 mother, Ayelet Shachar-Epstein.
Netta Epstein is seen with his fiancee, Irene Shavit, in this undated handout photo provided by his family.
As they hid in the bomb shelter in their apartment, Netta and Irene were cornered when Hamas militants confronted them.
Sharing her firsthand account, Shavit recalls the moment militants 鈥渂roke the window in our living room, they opened our safe room, then they threw a grenade, then two grenades.鈥
Then they tossed a third grenade. It鈥檚 at that time that Netta made the decision to use his body as a shield in hopes of protecting his fianc茅e.
According to Shavit, Netta 鈥渏umped on the grenade.鈥 Then she watched as the love of her life died right before her eyes.
Shavit was then alone with the killers in their apartment. For reasons unknown, they didn鈥檛 come to see if she was still alive.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 come in the room,鈥 she recalls. 鈥淭hey stayed in the living room, kind of kept talking and laughing.鈥
Netta made the ultimate sacrifice. Now his bride to-be can鈥檛 bring herself to think of him in the past tense.
鈥淗e鈥檚 still with me, I鈥檓 still hoping he will come to me in my dreams,鈥 she says.
Netta Epstein and Irene Shavit are shown in an image provided to 愛污传媒 by Ayelet Shachar-Epstein.
The two families, caught on separate sides of this deadly conflict, have shown great courage in the face of perilous circumstances.
Now, both say they want the same thing 鈥 peace. And the prospect of raising their families without the constant threat of war.
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