OTTAWA: Canada has said that it will issue visas to 5,000 Gazans, more than it originally promised, and said it was “horrified” by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah that triggered a blaze causing more than 40 deaths. The visas for Canadians’ families living in the Gaza Strip represent a five-fold increase from the 1,000 temporary resident visas allotted under a special program that Canada had announced in December.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that they will be ready to assist more people as the situation evolves in Gaza. A spokesperson for Miller stated that around 448 Gazans had been issued a temporary visa, including 254 under a policy not linked to the special visa program, and 41 have arrived in Canada so far.
An Israeli attack late on Sunday night triggered a fire in a tent camp in the Gaza city of Rafah, prompting an outcry from world leaders including from Canada.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that they are horrified by attacks that killed Palestinians in Rafah. She said that Canada does not support an Israeli military offensive in Rafah. Joly said that this level of human suffering must come to an end and demanded an immediate truce.
Canada has repeatedly supported calls for a truce in the Gaza Strip, including at the United Nations (UN).
About 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry. The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said that more than 75 percent of population in Gaza have been displaced. End.
