Gaza evacuations reliant on open aid corridor, Canadian officials say

Canada will be ready to move Canadians trapped in Gaza through the Rafah crossing to Egypt once a humanitarian corridor has been opened, Global Affairs Canada said Friday.

In a press conference, Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for consular, security and emergency management at the department, said that bringing Canadians out of the Rafah crossing is contingent on aid passing through first.

“It only makes sense that that aid goes in and the gate opens and we have the possibility to also bring people out. So this is what we’re planning for,” she said.

She said Canada is “completely mobilized” to receive Canadians once aid can go through, and has moved in standing rapid deployment team members into Cairo to support that movement.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday to reporters that he has got a commitment from Israel and the president of Egypt that the Rafah crossing will be open.

“Highway had to be repaved, it was in very bad shape, and I believe that within the next 24 to 48 hours, the first 20 trucks will come across the border,” he said.

2:05 World needs ‘peaceful, prosperous,’ co-existing Palestinian and Israeli states: Trudeau

So far, nearly 1,600 Canadians, permanent residents and family members have been evacuated out of Israel, Sunday said, noting there will have been 16 flights out of Israel over nine days by the end of the day.

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Sunday said that the need is now dwindling for flights out of Israel as commercial options out of Tel Aviv are available though limited. She said that if any Canadians still need to leave Israel, she strongly recommends contacting GAC and taking a seat on a flight if offered one.

She said that there have been 33 departures of Canadians from the West Bank to Jordan while the situation in Gaza is still very fluid and the Rafah border crossing into Egypt is still closed to foreign nationals.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that there are currently approximately 150 to 160 Canadians in Gaza and close to 150 more family members, and that Canada remains “firm and steadfast” in its commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict.

“The world and the region needs a peaceful, safe, prosperous, viable Palestinian state alongside a peaceful, prosperous, democratic, safe Israeli state – Israel,” he said.

The war in Israel has reached its 14th day after Hamas militants broke through Gaza’s barricade to launch an attack on Israel.