Close X
Sunday, September 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

No Canadians on Rafah crossing list as Israel raids Gaza hospital

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Nov, 2023 10:47 AM
  • No Canadians on Rafah crossing list as Israel raids Gaza hospital

No more Canadians have been approved to leave the Gaza Strip on Wednesday via the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, as hundreds of people connected to Canada continue to wait for help to leave.

A total of 356 Canadians, permanent residents and family members have been able to leave the besieged Palestinian territory so far.

No one connected to Canada had been cleared to leave on Tuesday, and the last group of 10 people made it across on Monday. 

Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to media late Tuesday afternoon that the Canadian government is in touch with 390 people who are still in Gaza.

People who cross over are allowed to stay in Egypt for a maximum of three days, and Canadian officials are waiting on the Egyptian side of the border to help with travel, accommodation, food and basic necessities. 

Global Affairs said the Canadian government is helping with onward travel at travellers' own expense, and it is connecting people with organizations who may be able to provide financial help. 

"Canada does not determine when or how many persons can cross each day. As the situation is quite fluid and unpredictable, Canadians should be prepared for significant delays and unexpected closures at the Rafah border," the department said. 

"Canada continues to engage all relevant parties to ensure that Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and their eligible family members presently in Gaza can exit safely and promptly. We continue to communicate directly with Canadians, asking them to have their travel documents at hand and be ready to travel on short notice."

Israel declared war against Hamas after its militants killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7, including hundreds of civilians, and took about 240 people hostage.

Health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory say weeks of retaliatory airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip have now killed more than 11,200 people.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged on Tuesday that Israel must use "maximum restraint" to protect civilian life in the brutal war it is waging on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"I have been clear that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules," Trudeau said at an event in Vancouver.

He said the violence urgently needs to stop, "so that Palestinians can get access to life-saving medical services, food, fuel and water, so that all hostages can be released, so that all Canadians and other nationals can leave Gaza."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked Trudeau on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying "while Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm's way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way."

Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as cover for its fighters, alleging that Hamas has set up its main command centre in and beneath Shifa hospital, without providing visual evidence. Both Hamas and Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations.

Israel has refused to allow fuel shipments into Gaza since Hamas's cross-border attack on Oct. 7. Israel says Hamas will divert any fuel shipments for military use.

Palestinians trapped in Gaza are struggling to survive without electricity or running water and are rationing food as Israel's siege of the territory extends into its second month.

The Canadian government has faced increased pressure domestically from the National Council of Canadian Muslims, refugee settlement agencies, opposition members and municipal politicians to call for a ceasefire, in a bid to safely evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid.

Trudeau has instead called for "a sustained humanitarian pause" in the bombardments.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

152 affordable homes being built for seniors in Delta

152 affordable homes being built for seniors in Delta
Located at 1054 - 54A St., KinVillage Apartments will have 145 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom homes. All units will be adaptable or accessible, allowing the suites to be easily and inexpensively modified to meet residents’ needs as they age. 

152 affordable homes being built for seniors in Delta

China leaves Canada off list of countries approved for group tours

China leaves Canada off list of countries approved for group tours
China has lifted a pandemic ban on group tours to several countries, including the United States and Australia, but tourists are still be barred from group visits to Canada. The change announced by China's culture and tourism ministry last week allows Chinese and online travel agencies to book group tours and packages for Chinese tourists in 70 more countries all over the world.

China leaves Canada off list of countries approved for group tours

Winds, heat and lightning trigger concern as two British Columbia wildfires surge

Winds, heat and lightning trigger concern as two British Columbia wildfires surge
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation order for the area southwest of Keremeos affected by two wildfires that have been burning for several weeks. Thirteen properties have been ordered evacuated along the Ashnola River and in the Snowy Protected area of Cathedral Provincial Park, including Cathedral Lakes Lodge.

Winds, heat and lightning trigger concern as two British Columbia wildfires surge

Housing crisis: Feds stick by immigration plan, rethink international student flows

Housing crisis: Feds stick by immigration plan, rethink international student flows
Academics, commerical banks and policy thinkers have all been warning the federal government that the pace of population growth, facilitated by immigration, is making the housing crisis worse. Canada is also experiencing a boom in the number of temporary residents who are coming to the country, which includes international students and temporary foreign workers.  

Housing crisis: Feds stick by immigration plan, rethink international student flows

Fall in housing starts: CMHC

Fall in housing starts: CMHC
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports the annual pace of urban starts was down 11 per cent, the rate of multi-unit urban starts fell 12 per cent and the pace of single-detached urban starts dropped four per cent.

Fall in housing starts: CMHC

Kids overdosing is a public health emergency, Canadian pediatricians say

Kids overdosing is a public health emergency, Canadian pediatricians say
A new survey says an alarming number of kids age 12 and older have been treated for drug overdoses in Canada. The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program says stimulants are the most commonly reported cause of severe or life-threatening overdoses, followed by sedatives and opioids. 

Kids overdosing is a public health emergency, Canadian pediatricians say