'They were amazing people': Canadian man remembers parents killed in Lebanon
Global Affairs Canada said late Tuesday it had been "informed of the deaths of two Canadian citizens"
Two Canadians killed in southern Lebanon amid an ongoing Israeli bombing campaign have been identified as former Ottawa residents.
Speaking from Bahrain, Kamal Tabaja told CBC News that his parents, 74-year-old Hussein Tabaja and 69-year-old Daad Tabaja, were killed after fleeing Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon.
Global Affairs Canada said late Tuesday that it had been "informed of the deaths of two Canadian citizens."
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on social media on Thursday she's spoken to two sons of the victims, including Kamal.
"I condemn the killing of these two innocent people who were fleeing violence in an IDF strike. We refuse to let civilians bear the cost of this conflict," the post said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces.
Kamal said his parents immigrated to Canada in 1996 and became Canadian citizens three years later. The two lived in Ottawa for a time and had been living in Lebanon for the last five years.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have fled their homes and hospitals have filled with the wounded since Israel intensified bombing on Monday, when more than 550 people were killed in Lebanon's deadliest day since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Tabaja said he called his mother early Monday morning and urged them to evacuate from southern Lebanon to Beirut, saying they weren't safe where they were. He said they were stuck in traffic for a prolonged time and that he was in contact with them until that evening.
Kamal also said they had heard that the Israeli military bombed the area that evening.
By the next morning, Kamal said he was losing hope. "I knew that there is no way they couldn't have gotten in touch with us," he said.
Kamal said his brother in Beirut went to search for their parents and found the wreckage of their car in Ghazieh. An explosion had blown the vehicle off the road. Inside the incinerated car was their mother's watch.
"I didn't believe it. I had myself prepared since the morning to expect news like this... I guess it's just the shock," he said.
Canadians urged to leave Lebanon
The Israeli military has mounted its heaviest airstrikes on Lebanon in nearly a year of conflict this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of sites deep inside Lebanon while Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel.
At least 51 people were killed and 223 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanon's Health Minister Firass Abiad told a press conference.
Months of conflict across the border with southern Lebanon has intensified sharply, raising fears the conflict could further destabilize the Middle East. The UN Security Council was meeting on Wednesday to discuss the conflict.
WATCH | Son says parents were killed trying to flee their home in Lebanon:
Canada and the U.S. have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon while the country's international airport in Beirut remains open.
Joly said Wednesday she wants to see a de-escalation to prevent a broader conflict beyond the region. But Kamal said he wants more than words from the Canadian government.
"When it comes to Lebanon, we condemn and we urge everyone to be at peace, but would you stop sending support to Israel?" he asked.
'They were amazing people'
Kamal said his father had worked as a senior manager with the civil aviation authority in Beirut and his mother worked as a cashier before focusing on raising the family. The couple had moved to Canada to give the family a better life and to escape the Lebanese civil war.
"They were amazing people," Kamal said.
"They are people that sacrificed everything for others," he said, adding that they had taught him and his siblings a sense of dedication to the community, citing his own involvement with Scouts Canada.
"They always said we should all appreciate Canada," he said.
Altogether, Hussein and Daad had six children and 13 grandchildren.
Kamal said the bodies of his parents have yet to be identified by the hospital, but hopes that will happen soon.
With files from Ashley Burke