The Canadian Press reported that the Canadian government announced yesterday, Wednesday, that it has decided to withdraw the children of its diplomats from Israel, amid fears of an escalation in the Middle East conflict.

The tensions between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah have heightened fears of a wider conflict in a region that is already on the brink of explosion, with the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and causing a humanitarian crisis.

Concerns have particularly escalated following the killing of Hamas's political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and the killing of the military commander of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, Fawad Shokr, in Beirut, along with subsequent threats of retaliation against Israel.

The Canadian Global Affairs Department, in a statement reported by the Canadian Press, stated that it has approved the temporary relocation of the children of diplomats and those responsible for them to a safe third country.

The department clarified that there are no dependents living with diplomats stationed in Ramallah in the West Bank and Beirut, according to Reuters.

Canada warned its citizens last Saturday against traveling to Israel, attributing this to the ongoing conflict in the region and the security situation that is difficult to predict.

It also urged its citizens not to travel to Gaza and the West Bank.

The Canadian department stated in the announcement that the embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, as well as the representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, "remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians."