Palestinians and foreign aid workers wait to cross into Egypt at Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Canadians looking to flee Gaza continue to await confirmation on when they can cross into Egypt, with no official announcement yet from Global Affairs Canada on a date or time, one month after the latest Israel-Hamas war began. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Fatima Shbair
Canadians looking to flee Gaza might soon be able to cross into Egypt, after a new document containing names of Canadians was published by the General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza.
The document, containing lists of “foreign passports”, potentially allows for Canadians in Gaza to cross into Egypt through the Rafah land border.
In Canada, two women trying to help relatives leave the besieged Gaza Strip say they received information from Global Affairs that Canadians were tentatively set to start leaving via the Rafah crossing today.
However, in its latest update, the department on Monday said only that it had been told last week by an arm of the Israeli military that more than 400 Canadians would be able to cross “in the coming days.”
The Rafah crossing was closed over the weekend but reopened on Monday to allow the departure of foreign nationals whose names were on a preapproved list.
The border crossing into Egypt is the only exit point for foreign nationals wishing to leave the Palestinian territory, which has been under constant bombardment since Israel launched retaliatory attacks for the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2023.
