Brantford, Ont., man pleads for Canada's help to save his critically injured brother in Gaza

A Palestinian- canadian river adult male in Brantford, Ont., is calling for urgent facilitate from the Canadian regime so his older comrade can get out of Gaza to get medical aid.

"I'm trying to give him hope," said Ahmad Abualjedian about Baker Abualjedian.

Ahmad said Baker is a 31-year-old truck driver and was delivering aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip when he was struck with shrapnel amid Hamas gunfire.

Baker has an active immigration file in Canada, said Ahmad.

He said his brother could have his application fast-tracked, but needs to leave Gaza to complete the process as there are no facilities in the region that could gather his biometric data, and countries surrounding the territory have closed their borders due to the Hamas-Israel war.

Baker is underweight and unable to eat well due to his injuries, according to Ahmad. Baker also loses blood, has high fevers and is at risk of facing poisoning.

"If he does not evacuate and get medical care he needs [within] a month … the possibility of losing him is high," said Ahmad.

Baker's three children — Sama, Razan, and Baraa — and wife Tamam are also starving and they have no money to buy food, said Ahmad.

More than half a million people in Gaza face catastrophic levels of hunger, a UN-backed report said in August, adding that famine would worsen without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid amid the war that began after Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on  Oct. 7, 2023.

"I hear [Baker] cry every day … that [is not] easy for me as his brother," said Ahmad.

"I do need him beside me in Canada, but forget about me — it's about his life, it's about his kids, it's about his wife, who has no one. Her whole family died there. She has no one but him."

Baker's injuries were life-threatening as the shrapnel penetrated his abdomen and caused "extensive internal damage," according to Ahmad. The damage includes "severe laceration" of the liver and deep cuts to the intestines.

He remains in very unstable condition in Gaza, according to Ahmad, with constant fevers and no way of getting the emergency surgery he needs. 

Rémi Larivière, senior communications adviser with IRCC, said while the priority is to reunite families and provide temporary shelter for Palestinians with family in Canada, "we are faced with challenges that hinder our ability to do so."

"Countries surrounding Gaza have closed their borders, making movement out of Gaza extremely difficult."

Larivière also said over 1,775 people have been able to leave Gaza and submit biometrics. 

"As of July 29, 2025, 880 people have arrived in Canada through the special measures for extended family and over 400 through other IRCC programs."

Ahmad said he has contacted the Red Cross, which told him that he could speak with Global Affairs Canada about allowing the Red Cross to safely help Baker cross into Kerem Shalom in Israel towards Jordan.

"From there, he can continue the process and come here to Canada," he said.

However, Ahmad said, Global Affairs Canada told him it couldn't help in that way because Baker is not a Canadian citizen.

Ahmad, who has been living in Canada since 2018 and is a permanent resident, said the country means "everything" to him. 

In November 2023, Ahmad met his daughter for the first time at an airport after the Canadian government helped them reunite. 

Global Affairs Canada told him then that it couldn't help, but his wife and child were eventually taken to the Canadian Embassy in Cairo and got a flight to Toronto after they reopened his file. 

Ahmad said Canada is a "very good" country that has helped him in the past.

"But I need help from my country … I'm asking kindly, and hopefully and desperately to get that help" now, he added.

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