The United States authorized the departure of non-emergency government staff from Israel Saturday as thousands scrambled to leave Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the federal government was still working Saturday to get Canadians out of the besieged Gaza Strip as a ground invasion by Israel was expected to intensify a week-long war that has so far claimed the lives of at least 3,200 people, including four Canadians.
The first group of Canadians that asked the federal government for help leaving the West Bank crossed into Jordan on Monday, according Canada's minister of foreign affairs.