Close X
Tuesday, November 19, 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

Premiers urge regular health-care reviews

Premiers urge regular health-care reviews
Ottawa has offered more than $46 billion to provinces and territories to augment the Canada Health Transfer but the country's premiers say they're "disappointed" with the amount.

Premiers urge regular health-care reviews

Canada's foreign property tax: 'A hostile act'

Canada's foreign property tax: 'A hostile act'
Rep. Brian Higgins is asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to officially object to Canada's new federal tax on underused, foreign-owned housing, which is coming due in April.  The one per cent levy applies to certain foreign non-resident owners of Canadian property located in areas with a core population of at least 10,000 people.    

Canada's foreign property tax: 'A hostile act'

Hells Angels properties forfeited to B.C.: court

Hells Angels properties forfeited to B.C.: court
Justice Mary Newbury writes that the lower-court ruling was "tainted" in several ways, including by failing to link Hells Angels' efforts to avoid criminal detection with the club's demonstrated “penchant for secrecy” and “preoccupation with rats and snitches."

Hells Angels properties forfeited to B.C.: court

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck
The victim was crossing Cambie Street at West 41st Avenue at 9 a.m. on February 14 when she was struck by a flatbed transport truck that was making a right turn to head south on Cambie. She sustained serious injuries, and remains in hospital.

84 year old woman in hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck

Human remains located in Cloverdale

Human remains located in Cloverdale
On Wednesday close to 12:45pm, Police responded to a report of what appeared to be human remains found in a wooded area on an empty lot in the 19000-block of Fraser Highway. Police are working to identify the deceased individual.

Human remains located in Cloverdale

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending
Member states, including Canada, first agreed in 2014 to "aim" toward spending two per cent of their GDP on defence over the next decade following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending