Adedokun Waliyu 
Evacuations of Canadians from Gaza have begun, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says.
Joly said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday that the “first group” of Canadians left the territory as Israeli troops continued weeks of airstrikes and ground attacks following the deadly surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Joly said Canadian officials have met the evacuated Canadians on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, where thousands of Palestinians and foreign nationals have gathered in an attempt to flee Gaza.
Some 450 Canadians and their family members are in the region and have expressed a desire to leave, Global Affairs Canada officials have said.
It is not clear at this time how many Canadians were in the group that was evacuated Tuesday.
