Foreign nationals could be allowed to leave Gaza on Saturday, Canadian officials say
Global Affairs Canada cautions that a plan to open the crossing between Egypt and Gaza has yet to be confirmed
Government officials say they've been told by their Egyptian counterparts that there could be a window of opportunity for Canadians stuck in Gaza to leave the territory on Saturday.
Julie Sunday, an assistant deputy minister with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), said the Rafah Gate — the only crossing along the border between Gaza and Egypt — could be opened to allow foreign nationals to evacuate between noon and 5 p.m. local time.
But Sunday cautioned that a plan to open the crossing for evacuation hasn't yet been finalized or confirmed.
"We're not going to tell Canadians to move until we … have confirmation that these individuals can get across that border," she told reporters on Friday.
"The last thing we want is Canadians getting stuck at a border," she added, noting that the security situation is tenuous near the crossing.
GAC says about 150 Canadians in Gaza have registered with the government and are requesting assistance. Sunday said the department is working proactively to ensure those 150 will be allowed to leave should the opportunity arise and encouraged any other Canadians in Gaza to reach out to GAC immediately.
The territory has been sealed off from food, fuel and other supplies, and the powerful airstrikes Israel has used to pummel Hamas in response to last week's devastating surprise attack have forced more than 400,000 people to flee their homes. Thousands have died in both Israel and Gaza since the Hamas attack last Saturday.
The Israeli military ordered some one million Palestinians living in the northern part of Gaza to immediately move south in advance of a ground invasion expected in the coming days.
When asked if Canada has received any indication from Israel that the border could be opened, Alexandre Lévêque, an assistant deputy minister with GAC, said Egypt is in talks with the Israeli government. He said there are "no strict assurances" the border will open.
"This is a very volatile, very dangerous situation. It is a very dangerous border crossing point," he said. "There's no hard guarantees about this, but what we have been wanting to do is make sure we are prepared should that window materialize."
Said Yousef Alhassoimi, a Canadian citizen in northern Gaza, told CBC News Network's Power & Politics that even if the border does open, he's not sure he and his family could make it there due to Israeli bombing.
"We want to move but we can't, the destruction is ... insane" Alhassoimi told host David Cochrane. He said the rubble left behind by airstrikes has made the terrain difficult to navigate.
"There's no way we could even walk," he said.
Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces, told Power & Politics that warning to evacuate the north is meant to protect innocent civilians. He said that effort is being stymied by Hamas, which has told civilians not to leave.
"We are taken active measures to minimize the threat to civilians," Conricus told Cochrane. "We are advertising what we are going to do because we do care about civilians and they are not our enemies. On the other hand, those that fight against us, Hamas, are using the same civilians as human shields."
The news that the border could open came up as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly met with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, on Friday.
Lévêque told reporters the purpose of the trip was to get a "first-hand assessment" of where Canada can offer its support to Israel.
"My thoughts are with all civilians impacted by the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which has also taken a toll on communities at home in Canada and around the world," Joly said in a news release.
Joly has since left Israel and has travelled to Jordan to meet with the country's foreign affairs minister.
Her visit comes as the Canadian government has organized evacuation flights for Canadians who wish to leave Israel.
Two flights operated by the Canadian Armed Forces airlifted about 280 passengers from Israel to Athens on Thursday, officials said. Two additional flights with similar numbers of passengers left Tel Aviv and landed in Athens on Friday.
Senior government officials told reporters Friday they are aware of 1,300 Canadians who wish to leave Israel.
Officials said they are also exploring other departure options for Canadians, including ground travel across the border to Jordan. Lévêque said Joly spoke to Cohen about opening a land border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan in their meeting on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, on Friday. Trudeau spoke with Abbas about offering support to Canadians in the West Bank, according to a readout of the call.
The two also discussed the humanitarian impacts caused by the conflict, and agreed that Hamas doesn't represent Palestinian aspirations, according to the readout.
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With files from The Associated Press