First two military evacuation flights airlift Canadians out of Israel

The first two Canadian Armed Forces evacuation flights left Israel Thursday airlifting an estimated 281 Canadian citizens and their families out of the country, with more trips planned in the days ahead.

The first flight carrying 128 passengers left Tel Aviv Thursday afternoon, and landed safely in Athens, while the second carrying 153 passengers, is expected to land safely later this evening, according to senior government officials.

"The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is always our top priority. The situation on the ground is volatile, we're actively helping our citizens and permanent residents come back to Canada," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

Departing from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, two military CC-150 Airbus Polaris have been seconded for this endeavour.

From Greece—a safe third country—an Air Canada plane and crew will be bringing the passengers back to Canada, landing in Toronto, providing tickets through a special code. The first of these flights is expected to take off on Friday afternoon, local-time, and accommodation options are being identified for those who will be waiting overnight to get home. 

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Defence Minister Bill Blair first confirmed the initial flight had departed on Thursday morning, stating the federal government was "working tirelessly to assist Canadians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza," in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We will continue to be there for Canadians who need help."

In an interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play, the minister said the flights will continue as long as there is demand, and they are required to bring Canadians to safety, but urged patience.

As of the latest technical briefing with senior government officials speaking on a not-for-attribution basis, flights are expected to continue through Friday, Saturday and beyond, with at least two flights per day, and an average of 150 people per flight.

Of the now 5,700 Canadians registered in Israel, federal officials are in touch with 1,600 people that have expressed interest in potentially seeking assistance departing, though it's estimated that around half of those individuals are likely to end up boarding the military airlifts as some are pursuing other options as the Israel-Hamas war continues, officials said.

CTV News' Adrian Ghobrial was at the airport as Canadians waited to board, and described it as a packed crowd of relieved people.

"I am very thankful and very relieved. But my heart is also broken to think about all of the innocent families in those communities that didn't get to get out, you know, they have to sit here through it. And they don't get to know the extremity of how long it will go on, or when it'll end," said Sarah Berry, one of the Canadians waiting to get on an evacuation flight.

"So it's heartbreaking to… get on this plane. It really is. But I am thankful that we're getting out. I'm a little frustrated that we're kind of just being dropped from here to Athens and then told figure it out on your own."

Another Canadian, Abby Finkelstein said she was "so grateful" to leave after describing the "terrifying" experience she had the night before having to seek shelter after sirens started sounding near where she was staying.

"I know so many people that are here that want to get out and their parents want them out, but they don't have an opportunity to "I'm excited to be on this military flight. I think it's going to be a really cool experience," she said.

Israeli reprisal strikes were sparked by Canadian-designated terrorist group Hamas' incursion into Israel, slaughtering hundreds. Now into its sixth day—the war has killed, injured, displaced and stranded thousands, including Canadian citizens. CTV News has confirmed the killing of three Canadians.

And, as of Thursday, federal officials say they are in contact with the families of four Canadians that are reported missing and are working with authorities and allies to glean more information.

WHO CAN BOARD?

These flights have been opened to Canadian citizens, their spouses and their children; as well as Canadian permanent residents, their spouses and their children; and dual-nationals.

While no official figures have been shared regarding the breakdown of who has boarded so far, officials said that typically early evacuation flights tend to be predominately Canadian citizens, moving to more "complex" family units as the flights continue.

"Our goal is to ensure that these flights are as full and that we're getting as many people out on each of them. So it's a mix of documentation being done, people being ready, people being in proximity," said one official.

Canadian officials continue to encourage Canadians seeking assistance to contact the embassy in Tel Aviv, the consular office in Ramallah, or the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) headquarters in Ottawa, noting that since the assisted departure flights were announced, there has been an uptick in demand.

GAC has now deployed 15 officials to various locations in the region, including Tel Aviv and Athens, to assist. There are also approximately 50 additional military personnel involved in these airlifts, including the flight staff and ground crews. 

Canada is prioritizing documented and travel-ready passengers, stranded tourists and the most vulnerable. Plans were being made to facilitate transport to the airport for some, as well as provide medical services on-board, as needed.

Immigration officials are working with embassy staff in instances where those looking to board planes to Canada do not have their passport or necessary travel authorization documentation with them, to validate identification. 

• Israel-Hamas war: Canada giving $10M in humanitarian aid

And, while Canadians will not be charged for the assisted departure flights from Israel to Athens, onward travel and accommodation will be at individuals' expense, according to the government.

The rather rare decision for the Canadian government to organize evacuation flights came after an influx of calls to consular officials from stranded Canadian citizens unable to find any commercial flight options given widespread airline cancellations.

Noting that some allied countries have yet to embark on assisted departures, should there be room on the last flight or flights, federal officials indicated Canada was open to allowing citizens from allied nations who aren't offering airlifts to board.

Amid questions about why it took days to mobilize flights, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said Wednesday that once the war started, troops "immediately" started planning options for what support Canada could provide. But, considerations around the security situation, resources, flight and landing clearances as well as planning exercises had to be worked out first.

"Our people on the ground in Israel have been working non-stop for the past three days, in order to help get people registered and get them the help that they need," Blair said. "Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces have really stepped up and moved heaven and earth to get planes into that area."

On Thursday, the U.S. government announced plans to start operating evacuation flights from Israel to Europe, starting as early as Friday. 

The Canadian government says it continues to look additional options for those who cannot get to Tel Aviv to board an evacuation flight, with hundreds of Canadians registered in Gaza and the West Bank where the absence of a humanitarian corridor means airlifts will not be possible.