A group of Canadians in the West Bank have crossed into Jordan by bus: Joly
CBC
A group of Canadians have fled the West Bank into neighbouring Jordan by bus, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
According to sources who spoke to CBC News on the ground, the group of about 30 people left pre-dawn by bus. They said the group is made up mainly of Canadians, but also includes nationals from New Zealand and Australia.
The West Bank has become a temporary home for hundreds of people from Gaza who were either working in Israel or visiting family in the West Bank when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel more than a week ago, killing 1,300 people, including a number of Canadians.
"I am elated to announce that the first group of Canadians have now safely crossed from the West Bank into Jordan," Joly posted on social media Monday morning.
"Thank-you to our teams in Ramallah, Amman, Tel Aviv and Ottawa, who worked around the clock to make this happen."
Israel has urged civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to southern parts of the territory in anticipation of an expected ground operation.
Canadian officials have urged Israel to allow humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, which has endured unrelenting Israeli bombing since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Authorities in Gaza said at least 2,750 people had so far been killed by the Israeli strikes, a quarter of them children, and nearly 10,000 have been wounded. A further 1,000 people were missing and believed to be under rubble.
In a statement on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau focused on the deteriorating situation in Gaza, calling a humanitarian corridor into the region "essential to address the urgent needs of civilians."
Trudeau also said international law and the rights of workers like medics and journalists must be respected.
"Canadians and people around the world must be steadfast in our support for the protection of civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian," Trudeau said.
The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are separate entities governed by rival political factions — Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, respectively.
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