As of Monday, five Canadians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Global Affairs Canada and three more remain missing.
On Sunday, the federal government issued a travel warning for Canadians living in Lebanon that they should consider leaving as the conflict continues to escalate.
“It has always been a possibility that missing persons would be confirmed deceased… It is an extremely tragic outcome,” said Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management with Global Affairs Canada. “Our thoughts are with the families in all of these cases.”
“We are very focused on addressing the cases of the three missing persons, who we continue to try to locate and bring back to safety in Canada.”
Currently, an estimated 6,800 Canadians are registered in Israel with over 450 in the West Bank of Gaza. There are 3,300 Canadians and permanent residents being assisted by Global Affairs Canada, according to CTV News.
The Hamas attack on Israel began on Saturday Oct. 7 and so far thousands of people have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas.
In the last 24 hours, Global Affairs Canada has received over 800 inquiries regarding Canadians still in Israel and around 4,200 inquiries since the attack first began.
A team of Canadian experts traveled to Tel Aviv to assist with hostage negotiations, however Global Affairs Canada has not yet confirmed if the three missing Canadians have been taken hostage.
“There’s a broad group of missing persons in Israel right now, and so there are many partners on the ground. I know our team has been — in addition to counterparts in Israel — has been in discussions also with the United States officials there who are working on these issues,” said Sunday.
“We are very much benefiting from the broader discussions, we are able to get information in real time, you know, face to face, which is really important to being able to take action and try to resolve these cases.”
Around 1,000 Canadians and their families have been relocated from Israel to Athens through an airlift operation conducted by the Canadian Armed Forces that offered two flights daily to those attempting to escape combat zones.
A ground offensive in Gaza is being prepared and is “pretty close” to being implemented, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who have ordered civilians to leave the area.
The federal government is making alternate plans for Canadians seeking assistance to leave, after Saturday’s plan to exit via Egypt was unsuccessful.
“Nobody got through that gate yesterday,” said Sunday. “The situation remains extremely fluid and insecure.”
Sunday said that they are currently trying to get assurances from Hamas, however electricity has been shut off in Gaza making communication more difficult.
“We have emphasized that people need to ensure their own safety and security when they’re traveling, that they need to be prepared… and that should an opportunity arise that being close to that border would be a benefit,” said Sunday.
“But again, individuals are having to make really difficult decisions… We are not telling people to go straight to that border until we have an understanding that there will be an opening.”
For Canadians stuck in the West Bank, the government is making plans to get them out via ground transportation through Jordan “in the coming days.”
“We are ready to start a land transportation option as early as tomorrow. But it’s complicated,” said Sunday.
Global Affairs Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Department of National Defence released a briefing which contained a warning to the 14,500 Canadian citizens and permanent residents who remain in Lebanon.
The country is becoming increasingly unstable, those still have been told to avoid all travel anywhere near the Israel border and to consider departing Lebanon altogether, if they don’t need to be there.
Sunday said that “government planning is actively taking place to prepare for all possible scenarios. This is simply not the time to go there… The situation is volatile, and if you don’t need to be there you should consider leaving, while commercial means are still available.”
A similar travel advisory has been given to Canadians living in Jordan, where large scale protests are expected to take place in the coming days.
