Canada's rescue mission about to begin for citizens caught in Israel's war with Hamas: MP Ya'ara Saks

On Oct. 11, the Canadian government announced it is mounting an emergency operation to fly Canadians out of Israel, possibly beginning as early as Thursday night. Several Canadian Forces transport planes will be sent to Tel Aviv to shuttle hundreds of Canadians and other passengers out of Israel to Greece, even as rocket fire continues raining down from Gaza, and mortars fall along the northern border with Lebanon. So far, according to Ya’ara Saks, the minister of mental health and addictions, who is the first Israeli-Canadian elected to Parliament, Canada has received 1,280 calls for travel help since the weekend, when Hamas terrorists swarmed across the Gaza border in southern Israel. Critics have blasted the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv for responding too slowly to appeals from desperate Canadians trapped in bomb shelters, especially after Air Canada and other airlines cancelled flights. Saks deflected the criticism, insisting her government is mounting an “all-hands-on-deck effort” to get Canadians out, including sending a negotiating team in for Canadians believed to be hostages in Gaza, including Vivian Silver, 74, originally from Winnipeg. Ya’ara Saks spoke to The CJN Daily’s Ellin Bessner about coping with her own personal grief over family members who’ve been killed, while helping Canadians caught up in Israel’s war with Hamas.

What we talked about

• Learn more about three Canadian victims of Hamas: Adi Vital-Kaplun, 33; Vancouver’s Ben Mizrachi, 22; and Alexandre Look, also 33, of Montreal
• Ya’ara Saks becomes first Israeli-Canadian MP, in The CJN
• Canadians can register for emergency military airlift flights from the Government of Canada to get out of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, via Global Affairs Canada here

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane, and our theme music by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.