Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says flights will begin to help Canadians depart Tel Aviv, Israel, by the end of the week with the help of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
These flights will head to Athens, Greece, Joly said. Air Canada is partnering with the government to fly Canadians, their families and permanent residents back to Canada from Athens.
Efforts are being made to coordinate exits for Canadians and permanent residents who are unable to get to Tel Aviv. Joly encouraged people in the region to register with Global Affairs Canada to get timely updates.
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Joly said that this is a rare course of action, especially as commercial flights are still available out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. However, given the many calls coming from Canadians saying commercial flights were being cancelled or delayed with no clear answer on when they would be rescheduled, the CAF was asked to assist on Tuesday.
Joly reiterated Canada’s condemnation of Hamas’ coordinated attacks on Saturday, which killed more than 1,000 people in Israel. Retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza have killed more than 800 Palestinians.
“The pain and suffering we continue to bear witness to cannot be measured,” Joly said.
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Two Canadians are confirmed to have been killed in Israel, with a third presumed dead, said Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for Consular, Security and Emergency Management.
Joly said she is aware of three Canadians who are still missing, and the government remains in touch with their families.
For Canadians in the region, the minister said this is a time of great anxiety and that Canada’s embassies are open. Teams in Egypt and Lebanon are also helping out, according to Joly, and teams working for Global Affairs in Ottawa are being shored up to handle increased calls and texts.
The foreign affairs minister reiterated Canada’s condemnation of the attacks, adding that Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives must be protected.
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On Gaza, Joly said the humanitarian situation was dire before the weekend and the situation will only deteriorate further since the weekend.
“As I said, this will get worse before it gets better,” Joly said.
Joly said Canada will continue to support humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Canada will continue to work with this principle in mind.
There are 500 Canadians registered with Global Affairs Canada in both Gaza and the West Bank. Joly said she did not have a breakdown between the two regions to be able to say how many are specifically in Gaza.
At this point, there are no plans to help evacuate Canadians from Gaza, but Joly said that if there are missions led by the United Nations, then Canada will take part.
As for Canadians in the West Bank, Joly said that she has been in contact with her counterpart in Jordan and they are looking at options for Canadians who are able to leave the West Bank by entering that country.
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