Plan for Canadians to evacuate Gaza via crossing into Egypt cancelled
Canadians hoping to evacuate Gaza via the Egyptian border crossing at Rafah will no longer be able to, according to an update from the federal government.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly provided an update on the current evacuation situation for Canadians to reporters on Saturday afternoon.
Joly said that a previously planned operation for Canadians to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing, which is located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, did not go through as planned.
“We are extremely concerned about the situation in Gaza. Gaza is one of the worst places on earth to be right now,” she said.
She noted that Canadians were “turned away” from leaving due to “violence” around the Rafah crossing that allows entry into Egypt.
Joly said that she would be talking with her Egyptian counterparts later today for more information.
She confirmed that the federal government has authorization from the Israeli government for Canadians to be able to leave Gaza.
“There are around …150 people that are Canadians and their relatives that were seeking to secure safe passage,” she said.
The situation in Gaza has become dire as Israel imposed a deadline for over 1 million citizens to leave the northern part of the enclave.
Israeli forces are expected to make a “major advance” into Gaza, noted the UN Palestine Refugee Agency in a statement issued on October 14.
The Israel-Hamas war has claimed at least 3,000 lives on both sides since Hamas fighters infiltrated the Israel border in several locations on Saturday in a surprise unprecedented attack, noted the Associated Press.
Joly also noted that the federal government is looking to begin an evacuation operation for Canadians in the West Bank, which could start as early as next week.
She said the operation would take around 80 to 100 Canadians on busses from Ramallah in the West Bank “to Jordan and eventually Oman.”
Joly added that evacuation operations for Canadians via Tel Aviv continue to be underway, with a sixth flight transporting Canadians arriving in Athens today.
“My message is please, if you have a seat on a plane, take it because we never know about how the station can evolve.”
Joly confirmed that there have been four Canadian deaths and three Canadians remain missing.