Close X
Sunday, November 17, 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

YVR says traffic at pre-COVID levels

YVR says traffic at pre-COVID levels
Vancouver International Airport says traffic forecasts for mid-January show passenger numbers have almost completely recovered to pre-pandemic levels. YVR says it is expecting just over 420-thousand passengers from January 15th to the 21st, just short of the 2019 figure of almost 426-thousand.

YVR says traffic at pre-COVID levels

More than 100 wildfires still not considered out after B.C.'s record wildfire season

More than 100 wildfires still not considered out after B.C.'s record wildfire season
More than 100 wildfires are still listed as burning in British Columbia thanks to a combination of a busy wildfire season, extreme drought and generally warmer and drier conditions through December. Forrest Tower of the BC Wildfire Service said that while it's not uncommon for some fires to burn through the winter, that number usually hovers around a couple dozen, not the 106 that were listed as active on New Year's Day.

More than 100 wildfires still not considered out after B.C.'s record wildfire season

Pedestrian killed in Langley

Pedestrian killed in Langley
Police in Langley are investigating after a pedestrian was struck and killed on Monday. Police say the crash happened at around 7 a-m in the 28-hundred-block of 264 Street.

Pedestrian killed in Langley

Snowstorm inbound for Metro Vancouver as winter weather rages across Canada

Snowstorm inbound for Metro Vancouver as winter weather rages across Canada
Environment Canada says a snowstorm is expected to hit Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria and beyond, bringing up to 20 centimetres of accumulation and possible freezing rain to southern British Columbia. The weather agency has issued a snowfall warning in the region with a forecast of "widespread snow" starting tonight and into Wednesday.

Snowstorm inbound for Metro Vancouver as winter weather rages across Canada

Police put spit hood on 'aggressive' airline passenger at Vancouver's airport

Police put spit hood on 'aggressive' airline passenger at Vancouver's airport
Richmond RCMP say officers put a spit hood on the head of an "aggressive" airline passenger who tried to bite officers after allegedly assaulting a travel companion. Mounties say they were called to Vancouver's airport around 12:15 p.m. on Saturday by airline staff who reported that a person posing a "potential safety risk to staff and passengers" had been restrained on a flight.

Police put spit hood on 'aggressive' airline passenger at Vancouver's airport

B.C. extends free HPV vaccines eligibility to men born in 2005

B.C. extends free HPV vaccines eligibility to men born in 2005
British Columbia is extending eligibility for free vaccines against the human papillomavirus to men born in 2005. The province says it will send out notices on Tuesday from its "Get Vaccinated" system to about 23,000 men born from January to June 2005, advising them to get the free immunizations by June 30.

B.C. extends free HPV vaccines eligibility to men born in 2005