(Ottawa) A new group of Canadian nationals seeking to flee escalating violence in the Gaza Strip was allowed to leave the besieged territory on Sunday.
The names of 135 Canadians are now on a list of foreign passport holders authorized to enter Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. This list is updated daily by the Gaza Crossings and Borders General Authority.
A notice posted on the authority’s Facebook page told those authorized to travel to arrive at the border by 7 a.m. local time.
According to the most recent update from Global Affairs Canada, provided on Friday, 376 Canadians, permanent residents and their relatives have been able to leave the Palestinian territory, until now, through the Rafah crossing.
The current conflict began on October 7 when Hamas fighters killed around 1,200 Israelis in surprise attacks, taking another 240 hostage.
Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a campaign of airstrikes, while cutting off water, food and fuel supplies to Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, more than 11,500 people were killed and another 2,700 people were missing.