Smoke and fire rise following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government is still working to get Canadians out of the besieged Gaza Strip as the Palestinian territory braces for an expected ground invasion by Israel.
Joly also announced a plan to begin evacuating Canadians from the West Bank territory by bus as early as next week.
“We’re extremely concerned about the situation in Gaza,” she said at a news conference from Jordan. “Gaza is one of the worst places on Earth to be right now.”
The minister said the Israeli government has authorized Canadians’ departure from the territory on the Mediterranean Sea, but that more work needs to be done to secure their passage. About 160 Canadians and their relatives are still in Gaza, she said.
An earlier plan to allow foreign nationals to leave the territory via the border crossing with Egypt fell through Saturday. The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced the cancellation of the plan in a message sent to western embassies.
Joly said the decision left Canadians stranded in the border city of Rafah.
Meanwhile, a new deal between Canada, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority would allow the between 80 and 100 Canadians in the West Bank to depart by bus from the city of Ramallah to the Jordanian capital of Amman, Joly said. Those evacuations are expected to begin Tuesday.
Canadians seeking to leave Israel have been able to take military flights from Tel Aviv to Athens.
Joly called for the protection of Israeli and Palestinian civilians as tensions in the region continue to mount after a surprise attack by Hamas across the Israeli border last weekend.
Israel’s military told about one million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza on Friday and head to the southern part of the sealed-off coastal enclave ahead of an expected ground invasion.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against these terrorist attacks according to international law,” the minister said. “At all times humanitarian law must be respected.”
– With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.
