OTTAWA | A fourth Canadian is missing, Ottawa announced, while the first Canadians are being repatriated from Israel, where a bloody war with Hamas has been raging for six days.
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According to the federal government’s official count, three Canadian citizens died in last weekend’s attacks.
Senior officials said Thursday that a fourth person has been added to the missing list.
However, they could not say exactly which region this person was in at the time of the attack.
repatriation
Today, two Canadian Forces evacuation flights with a total of around 280 people on board left the Israeli capital for Athens.
“I can confirm that the first Canadian Forces evacuation flight departed from Tel Aviv with approximately 130 passengers on board,” Defense Minister Bill Blair told X.
We work tirelessly to help Canadians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
I can confirm the first evacuation flight @ForcesCanada took off from Tel Aviv with around 130 passengers on board.
We will continue to be here for Canadians.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) October 12, 2023
From the Greek capital, evacuees can board Air Canada flights.
The first is scheduled for Friday around 3 p.m. Athens time and heads to Toronto.
About 700 people in the region would like to move, a number Ottawa says is expected to rise.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as their spouses and children, can use flights from Tel Aviv Airport.
Global Affairs’ latest report shows that 4,227 Canadians have registered with consular services abroad in Israel and 475 in the Palestinian territories.
Canadians seeking to return to the country from the West Bank and Gaza Strip currently have no repatriation options.
Canada is not in the habit of arranging emergency repatriation when commercial flights are available, which is the case.
Flights are planned from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport to Rome, Paris, New York and London.
However, Minister Mélanie Joly insisted Wednesday that strong demand from stranded Canadians wanting to return to Canada, coupled with the scarcity of return options, justified the operation.
10 million in aid
Canada has also allocated $10 million in additional humanitarian assistance to go to “reliable partners” in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
“Canada will ensure that no money falls into the hands of Hamas,” said International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen.
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