In response to the Israel-Hamas conflict’s plight of trapped Canadians, the federal government has mobilized planes to evacuate citizens from the embattled region of Tel Aviv. However, the conspicuous absence of a settlement plan for those left behind in the besieged Gaza Strip has added to the sense of desperation and fear amongst Canadians stranded there.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, announced the evacuation strategy, which involves Canadian Armed Forces aircraft shuttling Canadians from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece. Once in Athens, residents will then be connected with flight routes back home. The first wave of evacuation flights departed on Thursday, with 128 and 153 passengers on board, the first of which has safely arrived in Athens.
A ten-year-old Canadian-Palestinian girl, left stranded in Gaza with her family, recorded a plea, explaining that they had travelled via Egypt to Gaza to visit their ill grandfather before the conflict escalated. Seven Canadians remain trapped within Gaza, their respective Ontario-based fathers anxiously hoping for their safe return.
The complex situation in Gaza, which has been under a severe blockade since 2007 following Hamas’ takeover, has created a difficult rearrangement for its residents, including Canadian citizens. The strip has essentially been cut off from essential resources such as water, fuel, electricity, and internet connection. After a sudden attack initiated by Hamas militants on Israel, which led to hundreds of civilian deaths and the taking of hostages, Israel responded with airstrikes and activated a “complete siege” on Gaza.
Reports confirm that three Canadians have been killed, and there are ongoing probes into another four missing Canadians, although their status as hostages remains unconfirmed. Amid the conflict, trapped Canadians have scrambled for exit routes and pleaded for governmental aid as commercial flight routes are increasingly cancelled.
While the Canadian government promises assistance for its citizens in Israel, the potential escape routes for those stranded in the blockaded Gaza Strip are unclear and seemingly dire due to the absence of established humanitarian corridors.
Michael Bueckert, Vice-President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), expressed his dissatisfaction at the Canadian government’s apparent reluctance to fully address Palestinian-Canadians’ plight in both Gaza and the West Bank. He highlighted the reality forced on these citizens by restrictions on movement due to Israeli policies.
The conflict’s onset has seen Global Affairs Canada field 2793 enquiries regarding the 5,685 registered Canadians in Isreal, and another 465 Canadians in Gaza and the West Bank. However, the exact count of Canadians currently trapped in Gaza is unknown.
“Canada could ask Israel to waive those policies, to… allow its own Canadian citizens to leave Gaza, leave the West Bank through the normal routes, go to Tel Aviv to meet up with the evacuation airport,” Bueckert reasoned.
On Wednesday, the foreign minister said that Canada would consider moving Canadians through Jordan to access commercial departures if the UN establishes a humanitarian corridor in Gaza. However, she noted a lack of such information from the UN at this point.
Currently, due to the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza, Canadians feel an imminent threat to their lives as utilities and infrastructure continually take a hit. In particular, the future seems bleak for residents like Mohanad Kullab and his pregnant wife, who speak of civilian homes being indiscriminately bombed, severed connectivity, and the need to buy potable water due to cutoff facilities.
Global Affairs acknowledged on Thursday its deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian condition in the Gaza Strip, calling on all parties to facilitate essential humanitarian aid access in line with international humanitarian law. Their statement explicitly insisted that civilian lives and healthcare workers must be protected at all times.
Despite the swift evacuations from Israel, sentiments of frustration resonate amongst Canadians stuck in Gaza as well as their families. Mr. Bueckert commented, “It’s absolutely an intolerable situation for them and their families, and there’s the sense that absolutely no one in the Canadian government is looking out for them”.
