‘Please save my brother’: Palestinian-Canadian pleads to get sibling out of Gaza for surgery

Kamil Karamali has the latest on a Palestinian-Canadian’s plea to the Canadian government to aid in evacuating his critically injured brother from Gaza.

Ahmad Abualjedian, who is completely blind, listens to his brother’s cries of pain — in a video sent to him from Gaza. In it, Baker Abualjedian is begging medical staff to put him back to sleep, telling them the pain of being awake is too much to bear.

“It’s really hard for me to watch it, it’s really, really hard for me to watch it,” said Ahmad, fighting back tears as he showed CTV News the video in his Brantford, Ont., home. “I feel like I’m losing him. I don’t want to lose him. I need my brother.”

Ahmad’s brother, Baker, was hit by shrapnel after an explosion went off while he was delivering aid in Gaza on Tuesday. It penetrated his abdomen and caused extensive internal damage, according to Ahmad, who says Baker underwent a three-hour emergency surgery, during which part of his liver was removed.

But those measures were not enough. Ahmad says without life-saving surgery only available outside Gaza, his brother won’t survive.

“If he does not get it within one month or one and a half months, then we cannot control his situation anymore,” said Ahmad, describing what doctors have told the family.

Ahmad says the injury has made his brother unable to digest food and he has been on a liquid diet since the incident, adding that Baker now weighs less than 50 kilograms.

“He’s every day calling my brother (saying), ‘I am not good,’” said Ahmad. “He thinks I can save his life.”

‘I’m not able to do anything’

In a letter to government officials and federal bodies, Ahmad has asked Canada to ‘facilitate the immediate medical evacuation of his brother for life-saving treatment’ and ‘expedite the processing of his and his family’s applications’ to Canada.

“His life is at imminent risk without immediate evacuation to a facility abroad capable of delivering advanced surgical and intensive care,” the letter says.

He says the security process, including fingerprinting that his brother and family must complete to transfer to Canada is not available in Gaza, so he needs to leave the enclave not only for surgery, but also to complete the immigration process.

“The Canadian government is saying... Jordan or Egypt needs to help in trying to get him out so they can get fingerprints. It seems like it’s just a very difficult situation,” said Ahmad, adding he has tried to reach out to both countries.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says it can’t discuss individual cases, but its priority is to reunite families and provide a temporary safe haven for affected Palestinians who have family members living in Canada.

“Unfortunately, we are faced with challenges that hinder our ability to do so,” said Laura Blondeau, a spokesperson for IRCC. “Each country sets its own entry and exit requirements. Countries surrounding Gaza have closed their borders, making movement out of Gaza extremely difficult.”

“Anyone looking to come to Canada must meet our admissibility and eligibility requirements, including security screening,” added Blondeau. “These measures are to prevent anyone who poses a threat to the health, safety or security of Canadians from entering Canada. Biometrics can only be completed after people leave Gaza, as the Department of IRCC has no presence there.”

That leaves Ahmad unsure who to turn to, with each country pointing to the other to get the process started to get Baker out of Gaza.

“He told me this: ‘If I pass away or something, please don’t forget my kids, my wife,’ and I told him, ‘Okay, don’t worry, you will be fine. I will get you out.’ But in fact, I’m not able to do anything,” said Ahmad.

“So what I’m asking is, it’s a very urgent humanitarian call. Please save my brother.”