More Than 260 Canadians, Permanent Residents, and Families Cleared for Gaza Exit

More Than 260 Canadians, Permanent Residents, and Families Cleared for Gaza Exit
Palestinians and foreign aid workers wait to cross into Egypt at Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Nov. 1, 2023. (The Canadian Press/AP, Fatima Shbair)
The Canadian Press
11/10/2023
Updated:
11/10/2023
0:00

Some 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members had their names added to the list of foreign passport holders allowed to exit the Gaza Strip on Nov. 10.

Officials at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt were expected to start processing the latest batch of people looking to flee the latest Israel-Hamas conflict around 7 a.m. local time.

Another 32 people connected to Canada were able to leave the Gaza Strip on Nov. 9, after an initial 75 citizens, permanent residents and family members made the trip on Nov. 7.

No Canadians were able to cross via official means on Nov. 8 because of what a U.S. State Department spokesperson described as a “security circumstance.”

Global Affairs Canada has not yet issued a statement on the latest update, but said, as of late Nov. 9, 550 more people were still hoping to leave the territory.

The White House announced on Nov. 9 that Israel agreed to put in place a daily four-hour “humanitarian pause” on its airstrikes in Gaza. Canadian officials say they hope the breaks in fighting will allow more departures of foreign nationals, the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid and the negotiation of an eventual end to the month-old war.