Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for a resumption of a pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and says Canada supports efforts “towards a sustainable ceasefire.”
This comes from a joint statement issued Tuesday from Trudeau and his Australian and New Zealand counterparts.
The United Nations General Assembly is voting on a motion to call for an immediate ceasefire.
The statement goes on to say that it recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that Israel says killed 1,200 people and in which 240 people were taken hostage.
“In defending itself, Israel must respect international humanitarian law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza,” the statement says. “The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 17,480 people have been killed in the conflict since.
The joint statement from Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there is no place for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.
Trudeau has previously backed a “humanitarian pause” along with other western leaders in order to get aid into the Palestinian territory.
Those are different from ceasefires, which are formal temporary or longer-lasting agreements between parties or actors in a conflict to agree to end hostilities.
“The recent pause in hostilities allowed for the release of more than 100 hostages and supported an increase in humanitarian access to affected civilians. We acknowledge the persistent diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to broker this pause, and we regret it could not be extended,” the statement issued Tuesday said.
“We want to see this pause resumed and support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire. This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms.”
The statement adds: “There is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.”
More to come.
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