Canada minister did not back Gaza 'voluntary migration', Ottawa says

Canada's immigration minister did not back Israeli plans for so-called "voluntary migration" of Palestinians to the North American state during a trip to Israel, Ottawa has said.

The official Turkish news agency Anadolu said there had been reports alleging Marc Miller had expressed his country's backing.

But Jeffrey MacDonald, a communications adviser for the Canadian department for immigration and refugees, denied these claims as untrue.

It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was cited by newspaper Israel Hayom as telling members of his Likud party that "our problem" is countries prepared to take Palestinians from Gaza.

Israeli politician and Likud member Danny Danon said that "the world is effectively discussing" the issue of Gazans leaving the strip, adding that Miller had "spoken openly about" the matter.

Danon said: "So did [US Republican presidential nomination hopeful] Nikki Haley. We must form a team within Israel regarding those who want to leave Gaza and go to a third country."

Israel has been waging a brutal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed 21,672 people there in less than three months.

Hospitals, ambulances, residential buildings and places of worship have been attacked, and living conditions are in tatters.

Ottawa is cooperating with regional partners to get its nationals, residency holders, and qualifying relatives out of Gaza, according to MacDonald.

A scheme will be created for Gazans with Canadian family to request temporary visas, he said.

Anadolu's English edition reported that MacDonald "noted that the government would prioritise the evaluation of existing applications from Palestinians with family ties to Canada".

The news agency's Arabic edition did not cite him as saying it was specifically existing requests that would be prioritised.