Canada's immigration minister is 'pissed off' that a list of people related to Canadians are being blocked from leaving the embattled Gaza Strip, he said Wednesday.

Ottawa started accepting applications last month to reunite as many as 1,000 people in the Palestinian territory with extended family members in Canada.

“Perhaps there is some trepidation by people on the ground as to whether to let these folks out, but it’s humanitarian gesture and it’s immensely frustrating for me,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Parliament Hill.

“I don’t want to create a system that’s entertaining false hope, but I also don’t want to drop my arms and not try,” said Miller.

“It’s really frustrating, and obviously it’s a matter of life and death for the families in question.”