Global Affairs Canada says none of the Canadians who were on Friday’s list of foreign nationals authorized to leave the Gaza Strip have been able to leave.
There were 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members on Friday’s list who hoped to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing.
But Global Affairs said in a statement later Friday that the Rafah border crossing had been closed and no foreign nationals had crossed.
Canadians who were at the border to cross were contacted, said the ministry, which hoped that the border would reopen “soon to allow them to cross”.
Authorities at the Rafah border crossing were expected to begin receiving the last group of people seeking to flee the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Friday morning.
Amro Abumididain, a Canadian citizen who already left Gaza this week, said his relatives waited all day hoping to reach safety.
“We told them [jeudi] that they should head to the border today, because their name was on the list and they went there in the morning, Mr. Abumididain told The Canadian Press Friday from Cairo. They spent the whole day waiting and then at the end of the day they told them to go home because they won’t let anyone in. »
A total of 107 people with ties to Canada crossed the border crossing on Tuesday and Thursday, although the crossing was closed on Wednesday due to what a US State Department spokesperson described as a ” safety circumstance”.
Some of these Canadians have since reached Canada, while others remain in Cairo. Egypt allows foreigners to stay 72 hours in the country.
Global Affairs says it is aware of 550 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members currently trying to leave Gaza, including those who were supposed to cross on Friday.
Meanwhile, the ministry is hinting at the possibility that Canadians were among those kidnapped by Hamas in the deadly Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday that Canada’s top official responsible for consular affairs is in the Middle East to try to help secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
This role involves “engaging with government officials and other stakeholders to secure the release of Canadian hostages abroad, including in the Middle East,” the ministry said.
Mme Joly has long refused to say whether any Canadians were among the hostages, to avoid complicating the overall rescue efforts. Ottawa only refers to “two Canadians missing” in the region, citing privacy considerations.
Foreign nationals in the territory are trying to flee a deteriorating humanitarian situation and constant Israeli airstrikes. The bombing is in retaliation for the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants, which killed 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped 239 people.
The worst month of his life
Mr. Abumididain, aged 45, left Gaza after a fifth attempt on Wednesday with his wife and three children, as part of an American group since their children are American citizens.
He described the last month as the worst of his life, calling it a “nightmare.” Mr. Abumididain lived near the center of the territory, while his wife and children were in Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
He only found them when he left the country and it took him 13 hours to cross the border.
The family farm is about 900 meters from the Israeli border and he was helping his father when the war started. He described the bombing in the area as intense.
“I was just telling my wife that I was surprised to be here, because every day there feels like it’s the last day,” Mr. Abumididain said. I never thought I would see things like this in my life. »
The family hopes to reunite in Egypt in the coming days. Mr. Abumididain wishes to return with his family to Mississauga, Ontario, where he previously lived.
While his mother went to Ontario to visit her sister three weeks before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, his father remained in Gaza.
Trudeau concerned about rising tensions
Images of airstrikes in Gaza have already fueled a number of tense protests in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he was concerned about Jews and Muslims being targeted.
He cited no specific examples, but Montreal police said two Jewish schools were hit by gunfire, while a scuffle between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian supporters Wednesday at Concordia University left three injured.
“We should all be extremely concerned about the rise in tensions, the rise in threats of violence, the rise in actual acts of violence and the rise in hatred,” he said.
In recent years, Muslims have shown support for the Jewish people after attacks on synagogues, and Jews have done the same after violence in mosques, Mr. Trudeau noted.
“Canadians stand up for each other. We hear each other’s pain and sorrow and support each other. »