Canada, 24 other nations urge Israel to end war in Gaza, condemn ‘drip feeding of aid'
'We, the signatories listed below, come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now,' said the letter written by foreign ministers.
'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' the statement continued.
Opinion: Canada must come off the sidelines of international justice
The countries are urging parties and the international community to come together to bring the conflict to an end through an unconditional and permanent ceasefire. The statement said that 'further bloodshed serves no purpose' and reiterated its support of the efforts of U.S., Qatar and Egypt to mediate.
'We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.'
The foreign ministers said it is 'horrifying' that more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The statement said that the Israeli government's denial of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza is 'unacceptable.'
UN agencies and other humanitarian aid organizations have warned for months that people in Gaza are at risk of famine and have criticized Israel's aid delivery system. Israel has backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor that has been in charge of delivering supplies to people in Gaza. But since their work began in May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers, according to UN figures.
The statement continued by saying that the hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023 'continue to suffer terribly,' with the ministers condemning their continued detention and calling for their immediate release. The statement says a ceasefire is the best chance of bringing them home and ending the 'agony of their families.'
The 25 countries called on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on aid waiting to enter Gaza and 'urgently enable' the UN and humanitarian non-governmental organizations to do their life saving work.
'We call on all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law. Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a 'humanitarian city' are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.'
Nearly 800 killed in six weeks while receiving aid in Gaza, UN human rights office says
The foreign ministers said they oppose any steps toward territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
'The E1 settlement plan announced by Israel's Civil Administration, if implemented, would divide a future Palestinian state in two, marking a flagrant breach of international law, and critically undermine the two-state solution. Meanwhile, settlement building across the West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has soared. This must stop.'
Israel's foreign ministry said in a post on X that Israel rejects the joint statement, saying it is 'disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
9 minutes ago
- CBC
Ford says Carney stayed over at his Muskoka cottage Monday night
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, speaking to reporters at the end of Day 2 of the first ministers' meeting in Huntsville, Ont., says he and the prime minister were up past midnight 'chatting by the fireplace, solving the world's problems.'
CTV News
10 minutes ago
- CTV News
Sudbury mine story was ‘about a man using the men's showers,' says gender studies professor
Lau O'Gorman, who is non-binary, has co-authored a comprehensive guide on the use of inclusive pronouns and language. They also used to teach in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Thorneloe University. A professor of women and gender studies in Greater Sudbury is taking CTV News Northern Ontario to task for a recent story about gender identification and shower policies at Vale Ltd. The story quoted a letter writer who works at Vale in Sudbury who said he was uncomfortable sharing the showers with someone with 'female body parts, both top and bottom,' adding that it was 'compromising our marriages.' But in an interview, Laur O'Gorman said we incorrectly identified the person as 'a woman who identifies as a man,' when really, it was about a trans man. Inflammatory language 'So if you're using the language the letter writer used, and you're saying a woman who identifies as a man is using men's changing rooms, well, that sounds like (it's) really a woman in the men's room,' they said in a Zoom interview. 'But if you use the accepted language and you say, 'trans man showers in men's changing room,' it's a man using a men's room, right? And it takes away a lot of the piece that seems inflammatory.' Under the law, O'Gorman said employers as big as Vale are required to allow workers to use facilities that match their gender identity. In this case, the person's gender identity is male and so uses the men's shower. 'If you use the accepted language and you say, 'trans man showers in men's changing room,' it's a man using a men's room, right? And it takes away a lot of the piece that seems inflammatory.' — Laur O'Gorman 'As a trans man, you are a man and not a woman who identifies as a man,' O'Gorman said. 'A trans man may choose to use the all-gender facilities or may feel safer using the men's room -- or more affirmed using the men's room.' It comes down to safety, they said, and which room this person feels most comfortable using. O'Gorman, who is non-binary, has co-authored a comprehensive guide on the use of inclusive pronouns and language. They also used to teach in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Thorneloe University. The guide defines a trans man as 'men who were assigned female at birth (AFAB). They often have a masculine name and appearance.' O'Gorman said it's challenging for trans men to live in a body that people may see as another gender. 'You see yourself as a man,' they said. 'Other people may or may not.' O'Gorman said some trans men look very masculine and don't feel comfortable using non-gender facilities. And employers such as Vale are required to accommodate them. 'I've seen like a lot of trans men that have full beards and are like these big, buff, tall guys,' they said. Following the law 'The employer is just doing what the law says. The union is supporting the employer and doing what the law says. The trans person is using … the showers where they feel most comfortable.' Another part of the worker's letter said he not only felt uncomfortable, but that the trans man was threatening his marriage. O'Gorman said it's difficult to understand how showering with a trans man could threaten someone's marriage. 'The solution is close your eyes – (then) there's no problem,' they said. 'The whole situation can be fixed by just not looking at them, just the way you don't really look at any of the other men's bodies. Don't look, right? Like, it's a very simple thing in my opinion.' — Laur O'Gorman 'I would suggest talking to a therapist about it because, like, there's no physical threat. The person is not doing anything. They're minding their own business and taking a shower. 'The whole situation can be fixed by just not looking at them, just the way you don't really look at any of the other men's bodies. Don't look, right? Like, it's a very simple thing in my opinion.' O'Gorman said the issue is part of a larger narrative that portrays trans people as somehow a threat, when in reality, they are extremely vulnerable. Current political discourse is also demonizing immigrants, homeless people and even vaccine use, O'Gorman said, just as fear was spread during desegregation movements in the United States decades ago. Politicians play on the fear of the unknown for their own political purposes, not reality, they said. 'The political rhetoric is really dangerous, especially all of the discussion around bathrooms and what bathroom people should use,' O'Gorman said. While fear is being spread about bathroom use, O'Gorman said the reality is trans people are the ones at risk of being attacked in bathrooms, not the other way around. 'There is no case in North America … of violence in bathrooms involving trans people,' they said. 'There has never been a case of a trans person hurting somebody else in a washroom, in a shower, in these spaces. It has never happened.'
Globe and Mail
10 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
First Nations in coastal B.C. issue open letter calling on Carney to reject suggested pipeline
Coastal First Nations in British Columbia have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to reject any new proposal for a crude oil pipeline to the northwest coast. The move comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a new private-sector pipeline that would send crude oil to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia. Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, says in a news release that there is no pipeline or oil tanker project that would be acceptable to their group, and any proposal to send crude oil through their coastal waters is a 'non-starter.' The group is asking Carney to uphold the 2019 Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations along the north coast. It says the act is Canada's recognition of more than 50 years of effort to protect the north Pacific coast, which includes the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii, from the risks of an oil spill. Alberta Premier Smith says plan for new West Coast oil pipeline 'pretty close' Opinion: Should Canada build a pipeline to the West or the East? The nations say they have not changed their stance since oil tankers were banned from their territorial waters in 2010 based on ancestral laws, rights and responsibilities. The group says the north Pacific coast has one of the richest and most productive cold-water marine ecosystems on Earth, and it remains a source of sustenance, culture, and livelihood for coastal communities and all B.C. residents. The group has instead suggested the prime minister meet with them to 'better understand the credible ecological treasure that is the north Pacific coast.' The letter comes less than a week after Carney met hundreds of First Nations chiefs, where he faced resistance to the Building Canada Act, which allows the government to fast track major projects that it deems to be in the national interest, including by sidestepping existing laws.
