First flight carrying Canadian citizens departs from Tel Aviv

The first flight to evacuate Canadian citizens from Israel has reportedly departed from Tel Aviv with approximately 130 passengers on board.

Canada’s Defense Minister Bill Blair shared the update in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying the government is working tirelessly to assist Canadians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

A second flight is listed on the departures board at Ben Gurion Airport for Thursday evening, and a third flight is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

We’re working tirelessly to assist Canadians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

I can confirm that the first @CanadianForces evacuation flight has departed from Tel Aviv with approximately 130 passengers on board.

We will continue to be there for Canadians who need help.

— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) October 12, 2023

The Royal Canadian Air Force flights are transporting people from Tel Aviv to Athens.

In a news conference on Wednesday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said about one-thousand Canadian citizens and permanent residents have asked for help in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, with roughly 700 of them requesting a flight out.

READ MORE: Ottawa planning to airlift Canadians out of Israel by end of week

Joly said the government felt it needed to step in because many commercial flights were cancelled or delayed.

At least three Canadians have been confirmed dead due to the Hamas-Israel war.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa said Adi Vital-Kaploun, who had a large extended family in Ottawa, was killed at her kibbutz near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip.

READ MORE: Jewish group says Canadian citizen with deep Ottawa connections killed in Israel

Additionally, 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and 33-year-old Alexandre Look from Montreal died when gunmen swarmed a music festival in southern Israel.

Reports say the war has killed at least 2,700 people on both sides so far as numbers continue to rise.