With eight flights complete and two set for Monday, Canada assessing demand for continued military evacuations

Canada's ambassador to Israel says she and the increased staff working at the embassy in Tel Aviv are "coping" amid rocket sirens, and remain focused on airlifting as many Canadians out of the country as possible over the next few days, while a way out for those in Gaza remains uncertain.

"We're working through the list as fast as we can to get people assigned to flights," Ambassador Lisa Stadelbauer said in a Sunday interview with CTV's Question Period host Vassy Kapelos. "Two more today, two more tomorrow, and then after that we'll assess the need. We'll keep rolling as long as the demand is there."

Last weekend, Hamas militants attacked Israel and took hostages, leading to a barrage of retaliatory air strikes in Gaza. Thousands of people have been killed, injured, and displaced as a result of the ongoing war. So far, five Canadians have been confirmed dead, while three remain missing.

• Complete coverage of the Israel-Hamas war

Canada began airlifting stranded citizens, their families and a small number of foreign nationals out of Tel Aviv on Thursday, and the military evacuations — using two CC-150 Polaris planes shuttling passengers to Athens — have continued through the weekend.

With two flights scheduled for Sunday, the ambassador estimates approximately 1,000 passengers will have been airlifted from the Ben Gurion International Airport by the end of the weekend. The latest Global Affairs Canada update as of Sunday afternoon indicated there are currently more than 6,800 Canadians registered in Israel with the Canadian government.

With eight flights now under their wings, Canadian Joint Operations Commander Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie wouldn't say how many more evacuation shuttles the Canadian Armed Forces would provide, past the two scheduled for Monday.

"The duration of the operation will be determined in concert with our Global Affairs colleagues," he said.

While the majority of passengers transported so far have been Canadian citizens, they've also included some Israelis, Americans, Australians, Greeks and Brazilians, as federal officials have indicated a willingness to assist allied countries with evacuations if there is room aboard flights.

Stadelbauer said while hundreds more citizens have signalled an interest in an assisted departure as the Israel-Hamas war continues, the total number of Canadians that will be brought out remains a moving target.

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"We thought there was about 1,800 affected people all together, so that's people who have signalled an interest. How that translates into people who show up at the airport, is a different story," she said. "That explains partially why there's some seats going vacant, because we think people are going to show up and then they don't."

When asked how intensified fighting may impact Canada's ability to continue evacuation flights, the ambassador said she didn't know.

"What Israel does with its airspace, it's impossible for me to say," Stadelbauer said. "We'll adapt with the current situation as it unfolds."

"It's really kind of day by day that we're assessing that, trying to see what's happening. If the conflict stays in the south and in Gaza, we're fine where we are. If the conflict in the south triggers conflict in the north, it becomes a slightly different calculation. But we have people here looking at it very closely, we have people in Ottawa looking at it very closely … We're getting to be a little bit light on our feet to make some of those decisions."

WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN TEL AVIV?

After the embassy faced criticism from Canadians who reported considerable difficulty getting consular assistance during the first weekend of the attacks, Global Affairs Canada sent a contingent of more than two-dozen staff to the region to help respond to what so far has been more than 4,000 inquiries.

Stadelbauer said the staffing-up has "made a big difference," and will remain in effect as long as necessary.

While describing the environment at the embassy as a "humming hive of activity," just five minutes before the interview began, the ambassador said she was just in a bomb shelter after rocket sirens sounded.

"It's very quiet here right now. Maybe a quarter of the traffic that you would normally see, people are staying very close to their homes, close to the shelters… People are being very cautious. There's a lot of anxiety, a lot of worry, a lot of tension," she said.

Asked if she feels safe right now, Stadelbauer said "mostly, yes."

"I have faith in the Iron Dome… And our shelters are good. The infrastructure here in Israel is such that people are never very, very far away from a bomb shelter," the ambassador said.

"There's a sophisticated system of sirens and so we know that when we're in Tel Aviv, if we hear a siren it's for us, it's that specific, and we have about 90 seconds to get to shelter. So we're coping."

WHAT ABOUT CANADIANS IN GAZA?

As Israeli military forces prepare for an expected imminent ground invasion, millions of Palestinians are being ordered to find a way out. The Canadian government is still working to find a way for the 450 registered Canadians in the West Bank and Gaza, to leave.

There were plans on Saturday to get Canadians out of Gaza through a border crossing with Egypt, but that operation was cancelled due to violence in the area. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement Saturday expressing his deep concern about the "dire" humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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"The rapid and unimpeded access of relief via a humanitarian corridor is essential to address the urgent needs of civilians in Gaza. International law, including humanitarian and human rights law, must be respected and civilians, journalists, humanitarian workers, and medical personnel must be protected. The loss of civilian life is deeply disturbing," Trudeau said.

Asked Sunday morning if she was aware of any updated plans to get those Canadians out, specifically the estimated 70 Canadians registered in the densely populated Gaza Strip, Stadelbauer said she was not aware given her focus on what's happening in Israel.

"My colleagues… are working very, very hard, talking to partners, talking with Israelis, talking to Egyptians to try and get those folks out," she said. 

As of Sunday's federal update, the federal government says it is still trying to find a safe window to facilitate their departure.