Close X
Friday, November 15, 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

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference
Johnston's appointment has been contentious, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre repeatedly accusing him of being too close to Trudeau's family to provide an unbiased review of government actions.

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024
The Labour Ministry says workers must be licensed by Jan. 1. This comes following changes to the Workers Compensation Act last year, requiring that contractors who remove the cancer-causing material use only trained and certified workers.   

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024

Shots fired in Port Coquitlam

Shots fired in Port Coquitlam
On Tuesday, at 1:44 am, Coquitlam RCMP received multiple reports of shots being fired in the 2000-block of Shaughnessy Place, Port Coquitlam. Officers immediately responded and located the victim residence. No one was physically injured during the incident. 

Shots fired in Port Coquitlam

BC port strike vote

BC port strike vote
Both the union and the Maritime Employers Association -- which represents 49 private-sector employers at more than 30 B-C ports -- have agreed that June 24th is the earliest any job action could occur.

BC port strike vote

Eyes on the weather as fierce wildfire rages, forces evacuations in northeastern B.C.

Eyes on the weather as fierce wildfire rages, forces evacuations in northeastern B.C.
The extreme fire activity prompted the District of Tumbler Ridge to skip an evacuation alert Thursday and jump right to an order requiring all 2,400 residents to get out immediately and seek refuge in Dawson Creek or Fort St. John.  

Eyes on the weather as fierce wildfire rages, forces evacuations in northeastern B.C.

'These are the rules': Canada to deport Sikh family to India

'These are the rules': Canada to deport Sikh family to India
Hardeep Singh Chahal, his pregnant wife Kamaldeep Kaur and their three-year-old daughter, who live in Penticton, were given deportation orders last month for reasons withheld for privacy reasons, the Houston Today newspaper reported.

'These are the rules': Canada to deport Sikh family to India