Ottawa planning to airlift Canadians out of Israel by end of week

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is planning to use military aircraft to airlift Canadians out of Tel Aviv by the end of the week.

Families that are inside of the Palestinian zone are fleeing, taking shelter or seeking treatment while airstrikes leave entire neighbourhoods demolished.

Canadian Human Rights Activist Yasmine Mohammed says her Palestinian father’s dream of a free state is not likely to come true and is urging others in Gaza to escape if they can.

Uncertainty is growing after the territory’s only power plant shutdown as it ran out of fuel and more essential resources run scarce.

Thus far, Israeli authorities say that at least 2,200 people have been killed in Israel and Gaza.

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

At least two Canadians have been confirmed dead by family members following the Hamas attack on a music festival on Saturday.

Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver was attending the event when Hamas militants opened fire.

Alexandre Look, formerly from Montreal, was also killed during the raid at the Tribe of Nova music festival, which resulted in the death of at least 260 people.

READ MORE: Low supplies threaten residents in Gaza amid Hamas-Israel war

Global Affairs Canada said one person is presumed dead, and three other Canadians are still missing.

In a news conference on Wednesday morning, Minister Joly said there were 4,249 Canadians registered in Israel and another 476 in the West Bank and Gaza.

At this time around 70 Canadians have asked for aid out of the Gaza strip, but the federal government says it will not have a firm plan set until a humanitarian corridor opens up.