Israel reopened the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Sunday in a limited capacity after two years, allowing only foot traffic, as violence continued across the Gaza Strip.
The move comes amid fresh bloodshed in the enclave, with Gaza’s civil defense agency reporting dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces said it was responding to ceasefire violations.
Around 80,000 Palestinians who left Gaza during Israel’s war on the enclave are seeking to return through the crossing from Egypt, a Palestinian official told Al Jazeera.
At the same time, Israel announced it was terminating the operations of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, accusing the group of failing to submit lists of its Palestinian staff — a requirement Israeli authorities say applies to all aid organizations in the territory.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism alleged that two employees had ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, accusations the medical charity has strongly denied. The ministry said the group must halt its work and leave Gaza by Feb. 28.
The tightly controlled reopening of Rafah — alongside the expulsion of a major humanitarian actor — is likely to intensify scrutiny of Israel’s handling of civilian access and aid as the conflict drags on.
A major Optus outage has hit hospitals, including emergency departments, as millions of customers report issues with the network. Reports shared on social media indicate…
An Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a Logan woman sentenced over crash that injured more than a dozen people…
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/modern-condo-buildings-with-huge-windows-in-montreal-canada.jpg?id=59896652&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-rent-neighbourhoods-2025" target="_blank">Montreal tenants</a> may be feeling the pinch a little more than most, even as <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/montreal-rent" target="_blank">rent prices</a> cool across the country.</p><p>According to Zumper's latest <em><a href="https://www.zumperrentals.com/blog/rental-price-data-canada/" target="_blank">Canadian Rent Report</a></em>, released on April 14, median rent prices fell across Canada for the sixth month in a row. One-bedroom units dropped by 0.8% to $1,835, and two-bedroom pads slipped 0.9% to $2,265. Year-over-year, those prices are down by nearly 3%.</p><p>But in Montreal, things aren't quite following the national trend.</p><p>The city ranked as the 12th most expensive rental market in the country last month, and while two-bedroom prices dipped slightly by 0.5% to $2,190, one-bedrooms actually saw a bump — rising 1.8% to a median of $1,720.</p><p>That makes Montreal one of just a few major cities in Canada where prices for smaller units are still trending upward, even as the national average continues to slide. For context, both Vancouver and Toronto saw rent prices drop again in March, with one-bedroom units in both cities now sitting below $2,600.</p><p><span></span>Meanwhile, the most dramatic rent decreases occurred in Quebec City, where averages for one- and two-bedrooms dropped by 5.7% and 5.8%, respectively, month-over-month. </p><p>Zumper's data is based on hundreds of thousands of active listings and gives a broad look at where the market is heading — and for Montrealers, the message seems clear: the squeeze is still on, especially for renters looking to downsize or live solo.</p><p>You can read the full report and national breakdown <a href="https://www.zumperrentals.com/blog/rental-price-data-canada/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><strong>Median one-bedroom rent (April 2025):</strong></p><ul> <li> Vancouver, BC – $2,500</li> <li> Burnaby, BC – $2,300</li> <li> Toronto, ON – $2,300</li> <li> Victoria, BC – $2,070</li> <li> Halifax, NS – $2,010</li> <li> Ottawa, ON – $1,980</li> <li> Barrie, ON – $1,850</li> <li> Kelowna, BC – $1,850</li> <li> Oshawa, ON – $1,820</li> <li> Kitchener, ON – $1,790</li> <li> Kingston, ON – $1,760</li> <li> Montreal, QC – $1,720</li> <li> Hamilton, ON – $1,700</li> <li> London, ON – $1,700</li> <li> Calgary, AB – $1,650</li> </ul><p><strong>Median two-bedroom rent (April 2025):</strong></p><ul> <li> Vancouver, BC – $3,450</li> <li> Burnaby, BC – $2,990</li> <li> Toronto, ON – $2,900</li> <li> Victoria, BC – $2,750</li> <li> Ottawa, ON – $2,480</li> <li> Halifax, NS – $2,450</li> <li> Kelowna, BC – $2,250</li> <li> Montreal, QC – $2,190</li> <li> Oshawa, ON – $2,130</li> <li> London, ON – $2,070</li> <li> Kitchener, ON – $2,100</li> <li> Calgary, AB – $1,990</li> <li> Hamilton, ON – $1,980</li> <li> St. Catharines, ON – $1,920</li> <li> Abbotsford, BC – $1,900</li></ul><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p>
<p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p><p><br/></p>
