Frustration increased among Canadians stranded in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday while waiting for approval to cross into Egypt, while officials in Canada confirmed they were still working to make that happen.

Canada was not among the countries with citizens in the area on the list of people allowed to cross published by Gaza border authorities on Wednesday, although other countries were, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland, Australia, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.

Reportedly, only one Canadian was able to leave – an international worker listed on a different list – as the crossing was opened for a few hundred foreign passport holders for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.

Canadian Saeed Al-Husseimi, 16, said he and his family rushed to the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday after receiving a call from Global Affairs Canada and hearing that the crossing was open, only to discover that Canadians were not among the foreigners allowed to cross.

Al-Husseimi told CBC News on Wednesday: "We received a phone call [Tuesday] from Global Affairs asking us to prepare. I didn’t know what that meant." "We checked our names and unfortunately they were not listed on that list... and we are confused because we spoke to the Canadian government and they said we are registered."

Saeed also spoke to CBC News last Friday when he and his family had been waiting at the border for three days. He said he was trying to "keep a strong face" and hide his sadness as he coped with his brother and sisters aged 14, 13, nine, and three years old.

Some people trying to escape the bombings repeatedly went to the crossing controlled by Egypt over the past three weeks after hearing it might be open.

Ahmed Abu Al-Jadyan, a Canadian citizen and permanent resident of Brantford, Ontario, has family in Gaza and said he is in dire need of help to get his wife and newborn daughter out of the besieged Palestinian territories.

Abu Al-Jadyan, who was with his wife before the war started but separated from her afterward because he had to return to Canada in September, said, "I want to see my daughter, hug her, and touch her."

All he has now is a 57-second video of his daughter Sila, who was born on October 23, and he says he is very worried because neither his daughter nor other family members still in Gaza hold Canadian citizenship.

More than 300 foreign passport holders and over 70 seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday, the first departure of its kind since the war between Israel and Hamas began nearly four weeks ago.

A statement issued by Global Affairs Canada on Thursday said, "We continue to work around the clock to secure a window for Canadians to leave Gaza. We are communicating directly with Canadians and providing them with the latest information related to the situation." The ministry added that Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly "is in contact with her Israeli and Egyptian counterparts and that our embassies are also pressing through their channels."

No Canadians left Gaza via the Rafah crossing on Thursday, according to a government source with direct knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday that 74 Americans with dual citizenship had been able to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

Global Affairs said it expects foreigners and dual citizens to be able to leave Gaza based on each country individually. A specific departure date will be set for around 450 Canadians registered with the ministry in Gaza and the West Bank.

A statement released by Global Affairs Canada on Wednesday evening, which noted that the countries listed on the initial list have fewer citizens in the sector, stated that "Canada has one of the largest groups of citizens in Gaza." It added, "We expect more crossings daily in the coming days."

Mohammed Nasser, another Canadian trying to leave Gaza with his family, said Global Affairs Canada asked him to gather his documents and be ready to leave at any moment via the border crossing.

Mohammed Nasser said his wife, who holds a Brazilian passport, received a phone call from Global Affairs on Thursday during which an official confirmed that Nasser, his wife, father, Canadian brother, and his wife’s Palestinian sister are all registered in Ottawa for evacuation.

He said Global Affairs did not provide a date or time for a potential evacuation but asked his family to monitor the list published by the General Authority of Border Crossings in Gaza online, which details the foreigners allowed to leave since Wednesday.