Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada to airlift citizens, permanent residents out of Israel in 'coming days': Joly

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Oct, 2023 05:25 PM
  • Canada to airlift citizens, permanent residents out of Israel in 'coming days': Joly

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Tuesday that Ottawa is planning to airlift Canadians out of Tel Aviv in "the coming days," as conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates. 

Joly said the government aims to conduct the evacuation using aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, and it is working on additional options for people who are unable to reach the airport in Tel Aviv.

She said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the flights will be available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, along with their spouses and their children.

"I know that this situation has been difficult. Many of you want to return home to your family and have no way to do so safely," Joly's statement said. 

"We will help you."

More details will be available on Wednesday, Joly promised.

In the meantime, she said, Canadians who are in Israel should register with Global Affairs Canada. They are asked to contact the department at sos@international.gc.ca or +1-613-996-8885.

Global Affairs has urged Canadians in the region to limit their movements.

In a statement on Tuesday, the department said it had received 785 requests for help since the conflict began, adding that most inquiries related to travel advice and advisories, the status of flights and airports, the overall security situation and requests for information about family members' well-being or whereabouts.

Joly's statement did not mention the Gaza Strip.

Israel is hammering Gaza in retaliation for a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil on Saturday, with fighting causing the deaths of at least 1,800 people so far. Friends and family have confirmed to The Canadian Press the deaths of two Canadians, 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and 33-year-old Alexandre Look from Montreal, who died when gunman swarmed a music festival in southern Israel. 

Some Canadians have been pleading for help to get their loved ones out of the Hamas-controlled territory as Israel closes off access. 

In what the Israeli government is describing as a total siege, the entry of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza has been halted, with aid organizations sounding the alarm. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the Conservative party had urged the federal Liberals to help Canadians in Israel, accusing the government of "consular and diplomatic failures." 

A statement from the party's foreign-affairs critic, Michael Chong, said members of Parliament were hearing "too many stories" from Canadians who were reaching out for assistance but getting no answers. 

Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have signalled their staunch support for Israel, condemning the Hamas attack that initiated hostilities on the weekend. 

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Trudeau in Okanagan to meet firefighters, as final travel ban lifted for Kelowna area

Trudeau in Okanagan to meet firefighters, as final travel ban lifted for Kelowna area
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the Okanagan in the BC Interior to meet with firefighters, volunteers, and officials involved in the region's wildfire fight. Trudeau's visit comes after the last travel restriction of the Okanagan was lifted, alongside all previous evacuation orders within the city of Kelowna, with wildfires diminishing since after recent rainfall. 

Trudeau in Okanagan to meet firefighters, as final travel ban lifted for Kelowna area

Home invasion in Fort Nelson

Home invasion in Fort Nelson
A 36-year-old man is in custody after an alleged home invasion in Fort Nelson left a homeowner with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Mounties say they received reports of the incident on Wednesday night, when the attacker reportedly entered a home on Boundary Road and took keys from a rack.

Home invasion in Fort Nelson

Parked vehicles damaged in Coquitlam

Parked vehicles damaged in Coquitlam
Coquitlam R-C-M-P say they are looking for additional victims and video evidence after a man damaged a number of parked vehicles in the Maillardville neighbourhood. Police say the male suspect was arrested Tuesday night after reports surfaced of someone damaging parked cars between 10 p-m and 11:30 p-m.

Parked vehicles damaged in Coquitlam

Protesters attempt to bypass RCMP wildfire blockade near Shuswap

Protesters attempt to bypass RCMP wildfire blockade near Shuswap
Protesters have tried to bypass an RCMP blockade on the Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia's Shuswap region, amid tensions over the refusal of some residents to obey wildfire evacuation orders. Live social media videos of the incident posted Wednesday evening show about 20 protesters confronting a blockade of police cars near the lakeside community of Sorrento.

Protesters attempt to bypass RCMP wildfire blockade near Shuswap

Coquitlam man convicted for child pornography

Coquitlam man convicted for child pornography
A Coquitlam man has been sentenced to 13 months in jail after being convicted of child pornography charges. Police say 39-year-old Christopher Thomas Smith was convicted earlier this week for publishing, distributing and possessing the material.

Coquitlam man convicted for child pornography

Chinese mother of teenage girl found dead in B.C. tearfully testifies at murder trial

Chinese mother of teenage girl found dead in B.C. tearfully testifies at murder trial
The girl's body was found in Burnaby's Central Park in the early hours of July 19, 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing. The woman repeatedly wept at the mention of the girl's name during the trial of Ibrahim Ali on Wednesday.  

Chinese mother of teenage girl found dead in B.C. tearfully testifies at murder trial