(Ottawa) Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday that Canada is closely monitoring the conclusion of a possible agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of hostages.
Mme Joly says Canada expects any agreement to include the release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas, allowing all foreign nationals to leave the Gaza Strip and significantly increased humanitarian aid for those who are in the besieged territory.
Senior Hamas officials said Tuesday that a deal could be reached that day. Under the agreement, the militant group would release hostages kidnapped on October 7 and Israel would release Palestinian prisoners.
The possible breakthrough follows weeks of negotiations between Israel, the United States and Qatar, after Hamas gunmen and their allies killed around 1,200 people and captured around 240 hostages on October 7 in Israel.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Melanie Joly
The Israeli army expanded its military operations in northern Gaza on Tuesday, as part of a campaign of retaliation which, according to the territory’s health authorities, has left more than 12,700 dead so far.
Furthermore, no Canadians appeared on Tuesday on the list of foreign nationals authorized to leave the besieged Gaza Strip and reach Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. According to Minister Joly, approximately 200 people with ties to Canada are still waiting for an opportunity to leave the Gaza Strip.
Ottawa says 90 Canadians, permanent residents and their relatives left the Palestinian territory over the past weekend, bringing the total toll since the start of the conflict to more than 450 exits.
Mme Joly told reporters that she raised a possible hostage deal with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday and discussed it Tuesday morning with her Qatari counterpart.
“What we expect from this agreement is that we want to make sure that all the hostages are released, that all foreign nationals are allowed to leave Gaza, including, of course, the approximately 200 Canadians who are still in Gaza , and that humanitarian aid can come in — and much more than has been allowed so far,” she said Tuesday on Parliament Hill.
“We are still calling for humanitarian pauses, a humanitarian truce, which would lead to a possible ceasefire. »