The evacuation of Canadians from Gaza began today amid the Israel-Hamas war.Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has announced that the first group has left Gaza, .The federal minister said a team of officials met them on the Egyptian side of the border and provided assistance.The Border General Authority in Gaza is allowing foreign passport holders to enter Egypt through the Rafah land border. .The Rafah crossing is the only exit point from Gaza to Egypt.The crossing, which was closed over the weekend, reopened on Monday to foreign nationals whose names were already on the approved list.The names of

Canada's minister of foreign affairs is reconfirming that Canadians and their families will be able to leave Gaza beginning in the coming days.Melanie Joly issued a late Thursday update on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, saying she has spoken with her counterpart in Israel, Eli Cohen, about the matter.She says she also received confirmation of Egypt's co-operation.While the flow of foreign nationals leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing since Wednesday has been slow, officials with Global Affairs Canada say they are working around the clock to evacuate Canadians from

A Canadian man trying to get out of Gaza with his family says Global Affairs Canada has asked him to gather his documents and be prepared to leave at any moment through the enclave's border crossing with Egypt.Mahmoud Nasser says his wife, who has a Brazilian passport, got a call from Global Affairs today during which an official confirmed that Nasser, his wife, his Canadian father and brother and his Palestinian sister-in-law were all registered with Ottawa to evacuate.Nasser, who is sheltering at a refugee camp that's a 20-minute drive away from the Rafah border crossing, says the official t

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that former British Columbia premier John Horgan has been appointed as Canada's next ambassador to Germany.A statement from the Prime Minister's Office says Horgan has a proven track record of dedicated public service and will provide strategic advice to Trudeau in his new role.Horgan, 64, was first elected to the legislative assembly in 2005 and was re-elected four consecutive times, twice as premier.The statement says Canada and Germany face complex challenges, including food and energy insecurity, and will work to advance shared priorities.Trudeau

No Canadian citizens have been included in a list of more than 400 foreign nationals who would be permitted to leave Gaza for the first time since Israel launched its retaliatory war on Hamas militants more than three weeks ago.An agreement appeared to have been reached Wednesday to allow hundreds of foreign passport holders, along with some wounded people, to leave for Egypt.The General Authority for Border Crossings in Gaza published a list of those who would be permitted to leave that included citizens of Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Japan and Jordan

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says time is running out to help people in Gaza.In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto this afternoon, Joly is expected to plead for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict to allow more aid to get into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.Joly's speech will also urge that the more than 200 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza must be released.Her call comes as the Canadian Armed Forces confirms it has sent special forces to Canada's embassy in Tel Aviv, after Global Affairs C

Canada's ambassador to the United Nations is expected to speak later today about a UN effort to establish a temporary pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Bob Rae will take the podium on Day 2 of a special emergency session of the UN General Assembly as delegates debate a draft resolution calling for a pause in hostilities.The resolution also calls on the two sides to comply with international humanitarian law and to allow essential supplies and services into the war-torn region.Canada is also proposing an amendment to the resolution that would expressly condemn the Oct. 7 Ha

Global Affairs Canada says it is providing support to the family of a seventh Canadian killed during ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas.Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly's office says Ottawa learned on Wednesday of another Canadian killed in the region, and her department relayed the update in a Thursday morning press release.The federal government confirms that two Canadians remain missing in the region.Officials are not confirming where the death occurred, as Israel continues to fire missiles into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas militants' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.Aid g

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Hamas is a terrorist organization that is a threat to the whole world and must be "eliminated." Blair also says he has no expectation that Hamas would respect international law, including any agreement on a ceasefire. His comments are the furthest any Canadian minister has gone in explaining why Canada does not support calls for a ceasefire. The defence minister also appeared unwilling to back more recent calls for a "humanitarian pause," but says there are talks underway to get more aid into the Gaza Strip. More than one million Palestinians have been displace