Canada will soon halt evacuation flights from Israel, citing declining demand and increasing supply of trade options as many Canadians have been able to leave the country since the war between Hamas and Israel began two weeks ago.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced this in a press release on the occasion of her visit to the Cairo Peace Summit in Egypt this weekend.
Therefore, the last scheduled supported flight from Tel Aviv will be on Monday, October 23rd. Canadian Forces aircraft will remain in the region and are ready to respond quickly if conditions change and demand for supported departures increases, the minister said.
As of Saturday evening, 1,600 Canadian nationals had been evacuated over nine days aboard 17 aircraft assisted in departing Tel Aviv, the minister said.
We will continue to help Canadians, permanent residents and their eligible family members leave the West Bank by land. “To date we have successfully brokered 33 departures and are planning further transfers in the coming days,” said Mélanie Joly.
In the meantime, Global Affairs Canada continues to contact, where possible, Canadians still stuck in the Gaza Strip and is exploring exit options at the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
My message to Canadians in Israel is clear: If you want to leave Israel for security reasons, now is the time. If you would like us to help you with this, you should contact Global Affairs Canada so that we can provide you with a seat on one of the remaining flights, said Minister Joly.
It also emphasizes that the situation in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip remains unstable and is rapidly deteriorating, while discussions with the international community continue to address the situation.
Canadians requiring emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Center in Ottawa:
- by telephone: +1 613-996-8885 (calls accepted when this service is available)
- by email: [email protected]
- via text: +1 613-686-3658
- via WhatsApp: +1 613-909-8881
- by signal: +1 613-909-8087
- via Telegram: Emergency Canada abroad