By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Wednesday that Canada will use military planes to airlift nationals and families out of Israel by the weekend after two Canadians were killed and another is presumed dead in the fighting between Hamas and Israel.
Joly said Canada is looking at “additional options for those who cannot reach the airport in Tel Aviv.”
She reiterated to reporters Canada’s support for Israel in the battle with Hamas that has raged since Saturday.
“We stand by Israel and its right to defend itself according to international law,” she said. Joly added that Hamas does not represent Palestinians “and their aspirations.”
Joly urged an end to the conflict which has claimed more than 1,200 Israeli lives and over 3,400 injured since Oct. 7, according to the Israeli Embassy in the US. Palestinian deaths number more than 1,000.
The Canadian aircraft will land in Athens -- the first is scheduled to arrive later Wednesday --and from there fly to Tel Aviv.
There are 4,249 Canadians registered in Israel and 476 in Gaza and the West Bank, according to federal government figures.
Joly said Canada would work with the UN on evacuations from Gaza if and when an airlift is planned.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv and its mission in Ramallah in the West Bank will remain open “unless security conditions do not allow for it,” said officials.