Canada will introduce an immigration program starting in January to allow residents of the Gaza Strip with Canadian families to apply for temporary visas, Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Thursday, according to AFP.

Justin Trudeau’s government will grant a three-year temporary residence permit to extended family members of Canadian citizens (spouses, children, grandchildren, siblings, parents or grandparents) who want to leave Gaza, a Canadian official said.

“We know that many Canadians are concerned about the safety of their loved ones in Gaza, which is why we are announcing temporary immigration measures,” the minister told a news conference, though he clarified that “it has been extremely difficult to leave Gaza so far.”

“Canada does not determine who, when or how many people will be able to cross” the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, the only crossing that connects the Palestinian territory to the rest of the world, he added.

Over 600 Canadians and permanent residents have been able to leave Gaza through this crossing in recent weeks.

After the October 7 attack, which Israeli authorities said killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas by bombing and besieging Palestinian territory and conducting a major ground operation from October 27.

The Hamas government announced on Wednesday that Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused 20,000 deaths since the start of the war, including at least 8,000 children and 6,200 women.