Son of Canadian parents killed in Lebanon urges Ottawa to ramp up evacuation efforts

By Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press on September 30, 2024.

The son of a Canadian couple killed during Israeli strikes on Lebanon last week says Ottawa must do more to help citizens leave the country as fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group intensifies.

Kamal Tabaja says his 75-year-old father Hussein Tabaja and 70-year-old mother Daad Tabaja were trying to flee their southern Lebanon village last Monday when an Israeli bomb strike hit their car.

He says their bodies were officially identified at a hospital on Saturday through DNA testing, and they were buried later that day.

Kamal Tabaja says his Canadian brother and other family members are struggling to find a safe route out of Lebanon as the conflict escalates.

Tabaja says Canada should take further measures to evacuate the thousands of citizens who are still in the country, such as sending its own military planes or boats.

Some European countries began pulling diplomats and citizens out of Lebanon on Monday, with Germany using a military plane, while Global Affairs Canada has so far focused on securing seats for Canadians on the limited commercial flights that are still available.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has said it’s believed about 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, even though only about half that number have registered officially with the embassy in Beirut.

– with files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.

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