Kinew welcomes young boy from Gaza needing life-changing medical care

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This article was published 09/05/2025 (321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba welcomed a Palestinian child Friday whose family fled from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and is in need of “life-changing medical care.”

Premier Wab Kinew greeted the kindergarten-age boy, his mother, grandmother and two younger siblings at the airport Friday.

An 11-year-old Gazan boy in need of treatment for a genetic condition arrived with his mother in January.

“This is part of the humanitarian corridor that we’ve opened,” Kinew said at a news conference late Friday.

“So many Manitobans have been moved by what’s happening (in the war-torn region) and looking for an outlet for those feelings, for that emotion, and now we have it in the form of two young children who are now in our province to receive medical care.”

Before arriving in Winnipeg, both children had been in Egypt after fleeing Gaza.

The premier said they are receiving treatment in areas where the health system has capacity. Their cases were flagged by the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders. The children and family members arrived after passing lengthy security screening processes by federal immigration authorities.

“This is something that is made possible by the community stepping up,” said Kinew, who can’t identify the children or their health conditions under the Personal Health Information Act.

He said the Manitoba Islamic Association and community organizations have raised funds and volunteered to make sure the housing, food and basic needs of the families are met.

“The first child who arrived from Gaza has had a number of appointments and has received surgery here in our province and is doing well,” Kinew said, adding the child is attending school.

“Manitobans can feel very good about this initiative. It’s made a difference in the health of a young person coming from a region that’s in conflict, and that child is adjusting to life alongside other Manitoba kids — learning the language, learning at school and thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. And to me that’s a very, very positive story for us to tell.”

The arrival of the boy Friday has taken much longer than expected, he said.

“I was surprised of the amount of legwork required, but it’s important,” Kinew said. “There has to be security checks, there has to be vetting, there has to be that match with our health-care system.

“The main thing is that we’re doing something as Manitobans to be able to help in an area where everyone recognizes there is a need. ”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca