Mélanie Joly visits Israel as evacuation flights begin, number of missing Canadians grows

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Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is visiting Israel as Ottawa’s evacuation flights began from Tel Aviv and the number of missing Canadians grows.

After arrival, Ms. Joly met with Canadians waiting for flights to Athens and is meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Friday.

“My thoughts are with all civilians impacted by the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which has also taken a toll on communities at home in Canada and around the world,” the minister said in a statement. “My priority is to meet with partners and see first-hand the evolving situation on the ground so that Canada can provide the support most needed at this critical time.”

Two flights operated by the Canadian Armed Forces shuttled Canadians, permanent residents and their spouses and children from Israel to Athens on Thursday. The first two flights carried, respectively, 128 passengers and 153 passengers, according to government officials.

The federal government has arranged for Air Canada flights to fly people to Canada from Athens at their own expense, with the first flight expected to depart Greece’s capital on Friday afternoon local time. Senior officials at a background briefing in Ottawa said people on the military flights from Tel Aviv would be offered seats on the Canada-bound flights.

Evacuation flights are expected to continue indefinitely at the rate of two flights a day on Friday and Saturday, and senior officials said they expect about 800 people are seeking assistance in leaving Israel but cautioned that the number could grow. They said there are about 180 people in the West Bank who are also seeking help but cannot leave through Israel and another 100 people in Gaza. Officials said they are exploring ground travel options for those in the West Bank and are awaiting United Nations assistance to reach those in Gaza.

A significant contingent of foreign dignitaries was expected in Israel Friday. They reportedly include U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Union parliament, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, declined to criticize Israel’s siege of Gaza after the attacks by Hamas when asked by media for his position on the action.

“There is no question that Hamas is a terrorist organization that has brutally murdered innocent civilians, that has chosen to invade Israel, that has chosen to cause just horrific devastation, and on top of that, has taken hostages in total and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms,” he said.

“Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law,” Mr. Trudeau said during a visit to Yellowknife.

“We continue to look for ways to support civilians – both Palestinians and Israelis, and ensure that as many civilians as possible are kept safe during this terrible conflict.”

But, he said, this conflict “is the responsibility and the fault of the terrorist organization known as Hamas.”

Asked about Israel cutting off food, water and electricity to Gaza, Mr. Trudeau repeated that Israel has the right to defend itself and said that Hamas’s decision “to take innocent people hostage is a further example of their barbarity.”

Canada will provide an initial $10-million in humanitarian assistance “to address urgent needs in Israel and in the Gaza Strip,” the Prime Minister announced Thursday.

Federal government officials on Thursday said the number of Canadians missing in the conflict has risen to four from three, and the number of confirmed or presumed dead is three. As of Wednesday, three Canadians who were killed in the attacks had been identified by family members. They are Adi Vital-Kaploun, Ben Mizrachi, and Alexandre Look.

The overall number of people of all nationalities missing, killed or abducted by Hamas is still unclear, and the numbers are shifting as officials and military forces in Israel go through the painstaking task of finding and identifying bodies in the wake of the attack Saturday.

In a briefing with Israeli officials on Thursday, The Globe was told that approximately 400 Israeli families are still missing relatives. However, it remains unclear how many were taken hostage by Hamas because some people were killed in explosions or burned to death, making the process of identifying victims more difficult.

The officials said 150 people are believed to be held hostage, but they cautioned the number could go much higher.

The Globe is not naming the Israeli officials because they were not permitted to publicly disclose the government’s work.

Canadian officials said they have no solution yet to help Canadians in Gaza, where the borders are sealed. One official said Ottawa is looking to the United Nations to find a solution to evacuate foreigners.

At the same Thursday briefing with Israeli officials, they said that Hamas is not allowing foreigners out of Gaza. They defended the decision to lay siege to Gaza with a full blockade, saying that any movement of goods is a risk to Israel. They also suggested that it’s not Israel that should be held responsible for food and fuel shortages in Gaza, given that Hamas is the group that planned the surprise Saturday attack for months without stockpiling anything for its own citizens.

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Underscoring how quickly information is changing, federal officials in Ottawa said there were now four missing Canadians just an hour after Mr. Trudeau had told reporters there were three.

For the first time, Canada also acknowledged that Canadian citizens could be among the hostages taken by Hamas. Israel has already confirmed there are Canadians among those abducted.

“We’re aware that there are Canadian citizens missing and because of that, there is a possibility that they may have been taken hostage,” said a federal official at a technical briefing with reporters.

The official said the RCMP are the lead agency responsible for investigating potential crimes against Canadians. They said the Mounties are working with the Foreign Affairs department to support the families involved.

The official said experts from various government departments and agencies have been sent to Israel to work with the domestic government’s chief negotiator. They said having Canadians on the ground in Israel was crucial to getting information as quickly as possible.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters the government is in direct contact with the families of missing Canadians. “We’re providing support. We’re also in close contact with the local authorities,” he said.