Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada pulls diplomats' kids out of Israel as fear of broader war builds

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Aug, 2024 10:29 AM
  • Canada pulls diplomats' kids out of Israel as fear of broader war builds

The Canadian government says it decided to pull its diplomats' children and their guardians out of Israel, amid fears over an expanded Mideast war.

Global Affairs Canada says it has approved the temporary relocation of the children and their guardians to a safe third country.

Embassy staff are expected to remain in Israel.

"The Embassy of Canada to Israel in Tel Aviv, the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon in Beirut, and the Representative Office of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, all remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians, including consular services," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Wednesday evening. 

Diplomats stationed in nearby Ramallah in the West Bank and in Beirut, Lebanon, do not have dependents living with them. 

"Staff at our missions in Lebanon and Ramallah remain in place and are being regularly updated on the ongoing situation and the measures Global Affairs Canada is taking," the department said. 

Tensions in the Middle East have sparked fears about an all-out war after the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas's top political leader in Iran.

On Saturday, the government warned Canadians to avoid all travel to Israel due to the "ongoing regional armed conflict and the unpredictable security situation."

The government also advises against travelling to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and Lebanon. 

The current conflict broke out on Oct 7, after Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,200 people. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 39,100 Palestinians have since been killed in the war.

The Gaza Strip has been ravaged by the conflict, which has also seen a previously unprecedented direct assault on Israel by Iran, as well as Israeli attacks on Iran and Lebanon, including the capital city of Beirut.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II earlier this week to express his "deep concern" over the risk of expanded conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned groups. 

"The leaders underscored the urgent need to avoid further escalation, which puts the lives of civilians in the region at risk," the Prime Minister's Office said in a summary of the Tuesday call. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Woman who stopped to check on police spike belt damage killed by fleeing truck

Woman who stopped to check on police spike belt damage killed by fleeing truck
Officers have found a stolen car used to flee a deadly hit-and-run following a high-speed police chase on the weekend, and they continue to search for a suspect. The Honda Civic was recovered early this morning outside Edmonton.  

Woman who stopped to check on police spike belt damage killed by fleeing truck

Unprovoked stabbing in Vancouver

Unprovoked stabbing in Vancouver
A 32-year-old man is accused of stabbing another man in a wheelchair in what Vancouver police say was an unprovoked attack. Police say the 34-year-old victim had been outside a shelter in the Downtown Eastside over the weekend when he was stabbed multiple times in the neck, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. 

Unprovoked stabbing in Vancouver

B.C. workers on minimum wage will see an increase of 65 cents per hour June 1

B.C. workers on minimum wage will see an increase of 65 cents per hour June 1
Minimum-wage workers in British Columbia will get a pay hike of 65 cents an hour to $17.40 starting June 1, a move the government says will help lift more people out of poverty.  The Ministry of Labour says in a statement the 3.9-per-cent increase is consistent with the province's average inflation rate last year.   

B.C. workers on minimum wage will see an increase of 65 cents per hour June 1

Child poverty rate rises in B.C.

Child poverty rate rises in B.C.
The report makes more than two dozen recommendations, nine of them focused on raising family incomes through paying family-supporting wages or improving income supports. It says B.C.'s child poverty rate of 14.3 per cent was lower than the national average of 15.6 per cent, but the rate on 67 First Nations reserves is about double the national rate, while for single-parent families it's even higher at 40 per cent. 

Child poverty rate rises in B.C.

2 stabbed at Guildford Town Centre Mall

2 stabbed at Guildford Town Centre Mall
Upon arrival, officers located a 40 year female and a 35 year old male, both suffering from stab wounds. Both individuals were transported to a local area hospital where the female is listed in critical condition, while the male is currently stable.

2 stabbed at Guildford Town Centre Mall

Michael Johal arrested in the death of Abbotsford man Gagandeep Sandhu

Michael Johal arrested in the death of Abbotsford man Gagandeep Sandhu
A Delta man has now been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in relation to a 2023 Burnaby homicide. On September 16th of last year the Burnaby RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 3400-block of North Road, Burnaby. First responding officers arrived on scene and found a deceased man, later identified as 29-year old Gagandeep Sandhu of Abbotsford, in an underground parkade.

Michael Johal arrested in the death of Abbotsford man Gagandeep Sandhu