IN THE PLANE, MAYBE THREE TIMES I CRIED VERY LOUD,

“In the plane, maybe three times I cried very loud,” he said of the return journey from Turkey. “We lost family. We lost the grandmother of our children, we lost uncles and aunts.”

Hamza had called on the Canadian government to take a more active role in providing aid and support to Ganfouda and expressed disappointment at the lack of strong public statements from Ottawa on the plight of those stranded in the area.

Libya has been beset by violence and chaos since the ouster and death of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 civil war.

Despite a UN-brokered peace deal reached a year ago, Libya remains divided between east and west, with no effective government, and rival factions and militias — each side with backing from different foreign countries.

Last month, Hamza borrowed money and put the family SUV up for sale in order to finance an aid shipment to 30 families. By working in partnership with the Turkish NGO known as the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, he had hoped to provide them with food, water and basic medication for at least 10 days.

But Hamza said the NGO never received clearance to deliver the shipment due to ongoing security risks on the ground in Benghazi.

He said he was unaware that his family members were dying during the wait until receiving word through other aid groups on March 19, the day after the bus carrying most of his surviving relatives was ambushed by forces Hamza alleged answered to a military commander.

In the aftermath of the losses, Hamza said he still feels intense disappointment in the federal government as he feels it reneged on its international obligations to provide aid and comfort to those in need.

“They never considered us or those who are there as worthy of defending and standing with. So condolences from them ... are rejected.”

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to request for comment. It has said previously, however, that Canada is “deeply concerned” with the ongoing armed conflict in Libya and its humanitarian impact on civilians, including in the district of Ganfouda.