A 33-year-old woman who lived in Ottawa is the third Canadian victim confirmed dead in Israel since the militant group Hamas’ deadly attacks on Saturday.
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa confirmed the death of Adi Vital-Kaploun, a mother who lived in Israel, around 3 p.m. Wednesday. The lady was a Canadian citizen and has family in Ottawa. Her children were “miraculously” saved, a family statement said, but Ms. Vital-Kaploun “was murdered in her home by terrorists simply because she is Jewish,” it said.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he was “devastated” by the killing of Adi Vital-Kaploun. “I have spoken with Adi’s mother and family members to express my support and deepest condolences on behalf of the residents of Ottawa,” he wrote on Facebook.
On Wednesday morning, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed that two Canadians had been killed and three others were missing in connection with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The third death was then suspected.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the number is three dead Canadians and three other missing people. Minister Joly says she is in constant contact with the families of missing Canadians as authorities work with local authorities to obtain information.
However, she would not confirm whether there were Canadians among the hostages in the region. “I don’t want to increase the value of these hostages and put their lives in danger,” she said. Ms Joly added that she had been in contact with Israel’s chief hostage negotiator and that a group of experts would be sent to support his team.
Like the rest of Canada’s political class, the minister has repeatedly condemned the Hamas group’s “terrorist attack” while stressing that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to “live in peace.”
“We know that Hamas is not the Palestinian people. It doesn’t represent her ambitions and offers nothing but more chaos, loss and heartbreak. The violence must stop, the hostages must be released and the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians must be protected,” she said at the start of her speech.
Evacuations
The evacuation of Canadians stuck in Israel could begin Thursday evening if conditions permit, but is expected to begin Friday, Canadian government officials said during a technical briefing on the situation in Israel.
Once flight schedules are finalized, authorities will begin contacting Canadians in Israel by phone and email. They are asking Canadian nationals in the region to prepare their travel documents as soon as possible.
Canadian Armed Forces aircraft will take part in these evacuation flights. They are available to all Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families.
The Canadian military is sending two CC-150 Polaris aircraft to carry out the evacuations, said Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of defense staff. These aircraft will transport evacuated Canadians to Athens, Greece. From there, an Air Canada plane will take the passengers back to the country.
However, this evacuation operation is “rare” and “extraordinary” as commercial flights from Tel Aviv to Greece remain available for nationals. “Because there were so many flight cancellations and delays, there was a huge delay. The options [pour les Canadiens à Tel-Aviv] have actually become more and more limited,” explained the minister.
The number of flights has not yet been determined and will ultimately depend on the number of Canadians who have registered with Global Affairs Canada. There are currently 4,227 Canadians registered in Israel and 475 Canadians registered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Global Affairs Canada responded to approximately 2,000 requests for information.
Mélanie Joly also assured that she is studying options to evacuate Canadians stuck in the Gaza Strip, “where citizens live in an extremely difficult environment.” “We will work with the United Nations to see what will be possible in the coming days,” she said.
According to Canadian authorities, there are currently around 70 Canadians in the Gaza Strip. However, this number is subject to change.
With Zacharie Goudreault