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 the Gaza Strip, but announced an evacuation plan for those in the West Bank.
Joly’s announcement comes after an earlier plan to allow foreign nationals to leave the Palestinian territory of Gaza via a border crossing with Egypt was cancelled today.
She says the Israeli government has authorized Canadians’ departure from the besieged territory on the Mediterranean Sea, but that more work needs to be done to secure their passage.
She says about 160 Canadians and their relatives are still in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Joly says a new plan would allow between 80 and 100 Canadians in the West Bank to leave by bus from the city of Ramallah to the Jordanian capital of Amman starting as early as Tuesday.
She says that plan has received authorization from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.
