Immigration minister Marc Miller says movement out of Gaza is not currently possible, but situation may change
Immigration minister Marc Miller has increased fivefold the number of temporary visas for Palestinians in Gaza so they can join family members in Canada, saying the situation in the war-torn enclave is “devastating.”
People hoping to join relatives in Canada will have to have biometric tests in Cairo before they can be approved to come to Canada, and exit from Gaza must be approved by the Israeli authorities. At least 180 people have managed to exit the Gaza Strip to Egypt of their own volition, including by paying bribes to thousands of dollars to cross the border, with some reaching Canada.
Mr. Miller said he would never advise anyone “to pay bribes or these types of exorbitant amounts to flee a war.” Rafah, which borders Egypt, now houses around a million people – about half of Gaza’s population – who have fled there from other parts of the Gaza Strip. But some have left after Israel increased its military operations there earlier this month.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip since then, saying it wants to wipe out Hamas’s military brigades and free the hostages. At least 35,000 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the enclave. Aid agencies have also warned of widespread hunger and shortages of medical supplies and fuel.
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