Canada to pull children of diplomats out of Israel, Canadian Press reports

The Canadian government said on Wednesday it has decided to pull the children and guardians of its diplomats out of Israel, amid fears of a widened conflict in the Middle East, the Canadian Press reported.

Israel’s tensions with Iran and Hezbollah have fanned fears of a broader conflict in a region already on edge amid Israel’s assault on Gaza which has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, including widespread hunger, Reuters reports.

There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader Middle East war after the assassinations of Palestinian group Hamas’ leader, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and of Hezbollah military Commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut drew threats of retaliation against Israel.

Global Affairs Canada, in a statement cited in the Canadian Press, said it has approved the temporary relocation of the diplomats’ children and their guardians to a safe third country. It added that diplomats stationed in Ramallah in the West Bank and in Beirut do not have dependents living with them.

Canada, on Saturday, warned citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, citing the ongoing regional conflict and unpredictable security situation. It also urges its citizens to not travel to Gaza and the West Bank.

The embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut and the representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank “all remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians,” the Canadian government said in the statement cited by the Canadian Press.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on 7 October, when Palestinian group, Hamas, attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

The Gaza Health Ministry says that, since then, Israel’s military assault on the enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and leading to genocide accusations that Israel denies.

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