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

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general
Disregarded policies and a failure of management led to the development of the inordinately costly and much-maligned ArriveCan app, an investigation by Canada's auditor general has found.  The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to digitize customs and immigration declarations.  

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning in Metro Vancouver. It says a moist Pacific frontal system is expected to bring about 55 millimeters of rain starting Sunday and continuing overnight, before easing this morning. 

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver

Body found in Burnaby

Body found in Burnaby
Mounties in Burnaby say they have found the body of a 46-year-old man who went missing earlier this month. They say the public appeal for help to find the man was issued on February 1st. The R-C-M-P say investigators do not believe the death is suspicious.

Body found in Burnaby

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year
Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal is seeking millions of dollars in damages from the RCMP and the Ontario attorney general after being acquitted of using his political office for personal gain. In a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court, Grewal's counsel alleges the Mounties were negligent in their investigation and that the Crown breached his right to a fair trial by unreasonably pursuing the prosecution.

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year

Vancouver celebrates Year of the Dragon at 50th Chinatown Spring Festival

Vancouver celebrates Year of the Dragon at 50th Chinatown Spring Festival
Dragons danced to the beat of drums through the streets of Vancouver's historic Chinatown neighbourhood Sunday morning. The spectacle was part of the 50th Anniversary of the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade. The procession began at 11 a.m. at the newly refurbished Millennium Gate and thousands lined the 1.3 kilometre route to watch.

Vancouver celebrates Year of the Dragon at 50th Chinatown Spring Festival

RCMP locate vehicle involved in fatal hit and run in Courtenay

RCMP locate vehicle involved in fatal hit and run in Courtenay
Mounties in British Columbia's Comox Valley say they have found the vehicle that was involved in a fatal hit and run earlier this week. They say officers responded to a report of an injured cyclist around 11 p.m. Thursday on the Comox Valley Parkway near Minto Road in Courtenay. Police say paramedics and firefighters also attended the scene and provided emergency first aid to the man, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. 

RCMP locate vehicle involved in fatal hit and run in Courtenay