Egyptian authorities warned the Canadian embassy in Cairo that a window could open for foreigners to leave Gaza, an area under intense Israeli bombardment.
Although the news seemed encouraging, there was no immediate confirmation from Tel Aviv that foreign nationals would be allowed to leave, said Alexandre Lévêque, Canada’s deputy minister for Middle East and global affairs.
There is also no confirmation that Hamas is allowing anyone to leave Gaza, as the Canadian government has no communication with Hamas, according to the Toronto Star.
“If it happens, it will happen very, very quickly and people need to be prepared,” said Julie Sunday, assistant minister for consular administration, security and emergencies at Global Affairs Canada.
Currently, Canadian government officials have not notified about 150 citizens of their country who are asking Ottawa for help to get to the Rafah Gate in the south, saying there are no guarantees that the border crossing will actually open, Toronto Star reported.
Three Canadians are among those killed in last Saturday’s attack in which thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
The number of Canadians registered with the Canadian Embassy in Israel rose to 6,600, a small portion of the country’s total citizens there, and about 485 were registered as residents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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