Canadian man whose family remains in Gaza pleads government to help 

It’s been a rollercoaster for the Canadians stuck in Gaza as they continue to waiting for that window to exit the war zone, and families are overwhelmed with fear, telling CityNews every minute that passes is a matter of life and death for their loved ones. 

Nael Alhalees calls it a living hell, knowing his wife, two children and their extended family are trapped under a rain of air strikes, struggling for food and water. Their only chance at reaching safety is the hands of the Canadian government

“I don’t know if words can describe the atrocity the disastrous that the Palestinian people are facing,” Alhalees said. “My daughter, she said, ‘We are in total starvation.’ My daughter, Layan, tells me, … [They] only eat one meal a day.”

Alhalees’ family lives in the Gaza strip while he splits his time between Ontario and the Middle East for business reasons. He was at their home here in Burlington when the war began. 

“Lots of guilt and lots of fear that I failed my family I am hear I am helpless so being helpless is the worst fear you can undergo,” shared Alhalees.

Alhalees has already lost at least 70 relatives including his 20-year-old niece and 17-year-old nephew.

Right now, his wife and children are living in central Gaza and while they are on the master list of Canadians who will be allowed leave, he says because of their distance from Rafah, they may not survive the harrowing journey to the border.

“They could die getting to the border … being on the list is not enough. They have to arrange a ceasefire first and to give them a safe passage vehicle with the UN or Red Cross,” said Alhalees. “I know they can do it and it is possible.”

Canadians were supposed to have a window to leave the war zone over the weekend but the sudden closure of the Rafah border on Saturday put a kink in those plans.

The Rafah border crossing is the only exit point for foreign nationals who wish to leave the Palestinian territory, which has been under constant bombardment since the Israeli army launched retaliatory attacks for the brutal Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas.

Now there’s a backlog. Alhalees said the Canadian government has failed its citizens. 

“I have a friend who came from Israel 20 days ago … she came on a war plane, a Canadian Military war plane … and we are left here to die. Many other nationalities have already gone home safe outside of Gaza, why are Canadians left behind?” asked Alhalees. “It just feel like they want us to die there.” 

According to Global Affairs Canada, more than 400 Canadians stuck in Gaza are in the list to eventually exit at the Rafah border and officials are hopeful Canadians can begin to cross as early as Tuesday.