Only one Canadian still missing in Israel as confirmed by Global Affairs
Following the confirmation of Canadian peace activist Vivian Silver’s death, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) now says only one Canadian is still missing amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
For the past four weeks, GAC has reported that two Canadians were missing. This changed in its Tuesday update, in which the agency also confirmed the death of an eighth person connected to Canada.
Although the agency did not provide further information on this person’s identity, nor whether or not they were previously believed to be missing, the changes appear to be referring to Silver, whose death was confirmed by family on Monday.
Silver was originally believed to have been one of the 239 hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack, but her son Yonatan Zeigen told CTV News that his family had learned that she was killed in the original attack.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Silver’s remains were identified on Monday in Israel.
“Last month, I had the chance to meet with one of her sons. I learned of her warmth, her compassion, and her lifelong commitment to building bridges between Israelis and Palestinians. Vivian dedicated her life to peace, that bright light was extinguished on October 7,” Trudeau said.
“Her courage, commitment and compassion exemplifies what it means to be a Canadian, what it means to be engaged in the world in positive ways. She will be deeply missed, may her memory be a blessing.”
The number of Canadian citizens reported to be officially missing has changed over the course of the war as more deaths have been confirmed. GAC first stated that two Canadians were still missing on Oct. 17. This is the first change in the number of those missing since then.
Global Affairs specified in its Tuesday update that they were “aware of the deaths of seven Canadian citizens and one with deep connections to Canada.” Federal officials have previously stated that they consider the death of Tiferet Lapidot, an Israeli woman with Canadian family, to be a Canadian casualty, bringing the total number of Canadian deaths to eight.
These include 22-year-olds Shir Georgy and Ben Mizrachi, 21-year-old Netta Epstein, Lapidot, who was turning 23 the week of her death, 74-year-old Silver, and 33-year-olds Alexandre Look and Adi Vital-Kaploun.
NO NEW CROSSINGS
GAC did not report any new Canadian crossings from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday.
In an update, the agency said 356 Canadians, permanent residents and eligible family members have been permitted to leave Gaza as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Canada does not determine when or how many persons can cross each day,” the agency stated.
Ten Canadians were allowed to cross into Egypt on Monday.
The border crossing, which is currently the only route out of the besieged enclave, has been permitting limited numbers of foreign nationals and injured Palestinians to cross into Egypt since the start of November. However, it has also been closed on numerous days.
Those who make it through the Rafah border crossing are able to stay in Egypt for a maximum of three days. Canadians can receive consular assistance at the Embassy of Canada in Cairo, and Canadian officials can assist with onward travel from there, according to GAC.
GAC is in contact with 390 Canadians, permanent residents and family members in Gaza, according to the Tuesday update.
This article was reported by CTV News
