Canada monitoring potential Israel, Hamas deal to release hostages

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says that Canada is closely monitoring a potential deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages.

Joly says Ottawa is expecting that any deal will include the freeing of hostages, a substantial increase in humanitarian aid and permission for foreign nationals to escape the Gaza Strip.

Senior officials within Hamas say an agreement could be reached Tuesday that would see the militant group releasing hostages, while Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.

The potential breakthrough follows weeks of negotiations between Israel, the U.S. and Qatar after an estimated 1,200 people were killed and 240 hostages taken by the initial attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli army has been broadening its military operations across northern Gaza Tuesday as part of a retaliation campaign that the territory’s health ministry says has killed more than 12,700 people.

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There were no Canadian names added to the list of foreign nationals approved to cross into Egypt Tuesday as around 200 people with ties to Canada still await a chance to get out.

Joly disclosed to reporters that she spoke about the possible release of hostages with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week and once again with her counterpart in Qatar Tuesday morning.

“What we expect from this deal is we want to make sure that all hostages are released, that all foreign nationals are allowed to get out of Gaza — including, of course, the around 200 Canadians that are still in Gaza — and humanitarian (aid) needs to be able to get in, and way more than has been allowed to at this point,” she told reporters on Parliament Hill.

“We are still calling for humanitarian pauses, a humanitarian truce, which would lead to a potential ceasefire.”

This report was created with files from The Canadian Press 

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