Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the Israeli strike which left hundreds dead Tuesday in a Gaza hospital. “The news coming out of Gaza today is devastating. It's horrible. This is unacceptable. Canada expects international humanitarian law to always be respected. »
The evacuation of hundreds of Canadians stuck in Gaza remained impossible on the eleventh day of the war between Israel and Hamas. The Rafah border crossing, located on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, is still “completely closed”.
“Not a single person has left Gaza, and that is very concerning for all of us,” Canadian government officials said during a technical briefing in Ottawa on Tuesday.
About 370 Canadians and their relatives are still in Gaza. A plan to allow nationals to leave the territory through an Egyptian border post also failed last Saturday.
What makes it difficult to open the passage? “This is an extremely dangerous war zone. The crossing point has been bombed, there is a huge danger for individuals,” an official explained during the technical briefing. However, the negotiations are encouraging. “We seem to be getting closer to a diplomatic solution that would facilitate the establishment of a humanitarian corridor,” he added.
The government's discussions with the Canadian mission in Cairo also give “good hope” that the families of Canadian citizens will also be able to benefit from the passage during a possible exit. “They must be prepared to take advantage of any opportunity to go out safely,” officials added.
“This is not legal”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the strike which left at least 200 dead on Tuesday in a Gaza hospital. The Hamas-led government claimed it was an Israeli strike, while the Israeli military blamed the explosion on a failed rocket attack by the Palestinian militant group.
“The news coming out of Gaza today is devastating. It's horrible. This is unacceptable. Canada expects that international humanitarian law will always be respected,” he said before heading to the question period.
“That will always be our position. No, it's not legal,” he replied when asked about his refraining from saying whether or not he considers the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip legal.
< h4>Also read:
- Hundreds killed in Israeli raid on Gaza hospital
- Live | The latest news on the Israel-Hamas war
- The Gaza Strip, under Israeli siege, in maps and data (October 11)
< p>The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also considered on Tuesday that attacks against civilian infrastructure contravene international law.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas reported “200 to 300 martyrs”, killed in a bombing that hit the compound of the Ahli Arab hospital, located in the city center. /p>
“Gaza is currently one of the worst places to live on Earth. This is why we are working intensively to guarantee the opening of a humanitarian corridor to Gaza,” said Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Tuesday morning.
Des limited evacuations
For the moment, evacuations of Canadians to Israel continue. The eleventh and twelfth evacuation flights from Tel Aviv are planned for Tuesday, confirmed Mélanie Joly. There are 1,300 people who have been evacuated from the region thanks to the Canadian Armed Forces since the start of the operation.
In a press scrum on Tuesday morning, the minister also reported the evacuation of 21 Canadians on a bus from the West Bank. The government also evacuated Australians and New Zealanders.
As the death toll increases day by day, Ms. Joly warned citizens who are still in this region of the world not to delay in returning to the country. “If you get a seat, please take it, because we don't know how long we will be able to continue the operation,” she asked.
< p>Citizens currently in Lebanon are also encouraged to return to Canada while commercial flights are still available.
Mélanie Joly confirmed Tuesday that six Canadians have been killed in Israel since the attacks began and that two others are still missing. The death of Tiferet Lapidot, a 22-year-old Israeli woman who had family in Canada, was also confirmed. She had been sought ever since by her family, who hoped to find her alive. The young woman did not have Canadian nationality.
More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel, most of them civilians killed on the day of the attack launched by Hamas, the deadliest since its creation of the Hebrew State.