Canadians trapped in the Gaza Strip who were previously told they could be allowed out over the weekend will have to wait longer for escape from the besieged Palestinian territory.

The Rafah border crossing into Egypt remained closed over the weekend amid escalating attacks from the Israeli military against Hamas.

Word from Global Affairs Canada, they have no information on when it will reopen but they also say they’ve been assured by the Israeli military that more than 400 Canadian citizens will be able to cross in the coming days.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he thanked Egypt’s president on Sunday for supporting the departure of foreign nationals from Gaza, including Canadians and their families.

Meantime, Israeli troops divided the northern and southern parts of Gaza ahead of an expected advance into the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave, as communications in the territory were cut today for a third time since the war started nearly a month ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner with Israeli Defense Forces acknowledges the situation in Gaza is tough to watch.

“Looking at the images any decent human being cannot be heart broken by the huge challenge the people of Gaza are facing during these days of the war,” Lerner explained, “But nevertheless it is a war that was forced upon us by Hamas. There really is no alternative, and while we’re looking at how to minimize the civilian impact, there is going to be a civilian impact.”

On Monday, Israeli media has reported troops will enter Gaza City in the coming 48 hours.