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
an hour ago
- CBC
Crombie vows to fight on in face of Ont. Liberal leadership challenge
Bonnie Crombie says she will spend the summer pitching a message of unity to Ontario Liberal Party faithful, as she fights to fend off a bid to remove her as leader in September. Crombie faces a mandatory leadership review at the party's annual general meeting and, under the organization's constitution, needs over 50 per cent support to stay on. But a group of Liberals has emerged calling for new leadership, a sentiment echoed by the candidate who finished second in the 2023 race she won. Crombie said she has spent the last few months touring the province, speaking with riding association presidents, candidates and party members. She wants to stay on as leader and intends to fight, she said in an interview with CBC News. "Certainly, the membership thought I was the right person in December of 2023," she said of her victory. "I think they still believe so today and I'm here to rebuild trust and to revitalize our party." Crombie won the Liberal leadership in a closer than expected third ballot vote at a party convention a year and a half ago. She edged out federal MP and former cabinet minister Nathaniel Erksine-Smith with 53 per cent of delegate points to his 47 per cent. But much has changed since her victory. WATCH | Crombie reacts to Ontario election loss: Crombie reacts to Ontario election loss 5 months ago Party members raise questions after 3rd place finish in seat count Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives called a snap election earlier this year and won a third-straight majority government. Crombie's Liberals came second in the popular vote, winning nearly 30 per cent support. That translated to winning 14 seats and helped the party secure official party status — along with millions in resources — for the first time since 2018. But the Liberals remain the third place party in the legislature despite their improved vote share. Crombie failed to win her own seat in Mississauga where she once served as mayor, leaving her outside of the house and its debate. "Obviously, we wanted to win and we didn't," she said. "And I will say to you that that's very humbling." The results have given rise to criticism from some within the party. A group dubbed the New Leaf Liberals says Crombie's team was caught flat-footed by the snap vote, despite Ford musing about calling the election since last summer. As a result, it didn't have candidates in place fast enough to run competitive campaigns in many ridings. The group also says Crombie's team didn't pivot away from its health-care-themed platform when it became clear the election was focused on Trump, tariffs and the economy. Despite the Liberal Party constitution rules, Nathaniel Arfin, one of the group's founders, said the threshold should be higher for Crombie to stay on. In the group's view, she needs a minimum 66 per cent vote in the review to remain leader. "We are strictly calling for the current leadership to recognize that they have failed us and that it's time for us to move forward with change so that we can build a stronger Ontario Liberal Party," he said. And while Arfin said he has worked for Nate Erskine-Smith in the past, the group is not affiliated with the federal MP or other possible candidates. Erksine-Smith calls for change at the top of Ontario Liberal Party Erksine-Smith also said he is not affiliated with the group and has not decided if he will run if Crombie is forced out. "This isn't about me, it's about what's best for the party," he said in an interview with CBC News. He agreed a two-thirds majority of voting party members should be required if Crombie wants to stay on. "If you can't secure 66 per cent of your members, I mean, good luck in a general election," he said. Erskine-Smith said he's concerned that the registration fees for the event, as well as the cost to travel and attend the meeting in Toronto, will discourage many Liberals. He issued an open letter earlier this month calling on delegates to dump Crombie. "A new leadership race would attract talent, it would attract contributions, it would attract public attention, and that's exactly what we need if we're going to renew this party in a serious way," he said. Crombie said she has heard the criticisms from the group and from other members of the party as she toured the province this summer. She's making changes to address those, including opening candidate nominations in January 2026 for the next provincial election, providing more support to rural and northern ridings, and holding more policy conventions. "Many of the requests that this new organization has made, we have responded to," she said. "And if they want reform and change, I want them to know that I want it too." Crombie also said she thinks there are members of the party stoking discontent for their own gain. "There are people who have put their own ambitions ahead of the party," she said. "I think that's what we're seeing here." Despite some opposition, Crombie continues to have support. The Ontario Liberal Party executive endorsed Crombie's continued leadership after the election. And since Erskine-Smith published his open letter, most of the party caucus and former premier Kathleen Wynne have signalled their support for Crombie on social media. Former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister John Milloy said Erskine-Smith's showing in the 2023 race was impressive. However, the fact that he didn't run for the provincial Liberals in the last election, opting instead to run again federally, may lead some members to question his commitment to the Ontario party, he said. "Nate Erskine-Smith is trying to position himself as the heir apparent," Milloy said. "He's got a long way to go with that." "I don't think (the party has) the luxury of having some knock them down, drag them out, internal battle that goes on for years," added Milloy, who is now the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College. Crombie has good reason to be worried about the challenge, said McMaster University political science professor Peter Graefe. Winning the review vote by a healthy margin is essential and that could mean capturing as much 75 per cent. The in-fighting among the Liberals is a symptom of larger problems with the party still struggling to find its identity after a brutal 2018 loss, Graefe said. "The political base of parties is often very impatient and expect magic from leaders, when really they're the ones who have to make the magic happen through organization," he said. The Ontario Liberal Annual General meeting takes place from Sept. 12 to 14.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
EU reaches trade framework with Trump
July 27, 2025 | The EU has the framework of a new trade deal with the U.S., but doesn't escape Trump's tariffs. Israel pauses some fighting in Gaza and allows air drops of aid to resume. And, a golden start to the world championships for swimmer Summer McIntosh.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Clean energy is the future — why are we investing in fossil fuels?
Opinion I don't know about you, but I have to say I'm a bit confused these days. In fact, in political terms, I really don't know whether I'm coming or going. Am I coming out of a fossil fuel-addicted world into a greener cleaner one, or going back to fossil fuels as the only default position to keep Canada financially afloat in the face of a fascist's tariffs? I know which direction almost 80 per cent of us want to be headed, but I'm not sure our provincial and federal leaders agree, given all this talk about gas and oil pipelines cutting through environmentally sensitive northern lands and mega-mining projects in Ontario's 'ring of fire' — peatlands that store a staggering 35 billion tonnes of the world's carbon. So I'm left asking — is this the only way we can cut loose from the U.S. and cope with a trade war, or are our leaders simply taking the easy way out? Easy in the sense that it's all too familiar, seems to be pragmatic and, at least in the short term, may more or less maintain our standard of living. In the somewhat longer term, it won't be easy at all, given that we live in a world that's already blown past the 1.5 degree Celsius mark above pre-industrial levels, and crossed several of the seven thresholds that measure the distance between a climate emergency and climate chaos. Given the latter reality, I find myself asking a couple of simple questions — why aren't Mark Carney and Wab Kinew talking about a clean energy revolution as a way to beat the tariffs and trade war? Why isn't Carney talking about a bolder vision, challenging the government to work together to retool Canada's economy and set our country up to become a world leader in clean energy and green technology? Now, maybe I'm naïve, and god knows I'm no economist, but it seems to me, as I've said before, that if Canada was able to blast forward from an agrarian based economy to an industrialized one in just six years during the Second World War, why can't we do the same now? I mean, we've got a lot of smart Canadians who would likely rise to the challenge and there are quite a few highly skilled Americans looking for a way out of the current political nightmare in their own country, who could be recruited to the cause. And transitioning to clean energy like solar and wind doesn't just make environmental sense, it's also a financially smart, given that renewable energy is now 41 per cent cheaper and just as efficient. It's also more secure, because as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently observed — 'There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargos on wind.' In fact, countries like Denmark and Germany have already demonstrated that the transition to clean energy works by generating 50 per cent to 67 per cent of their power needs with solar and wind. Canada, meanwhile, is generating a paltry seven per cent to 11 per cent of its total electricity with alternate sources. This when Atlantic Canada is deemed to have some of the best wind power potential in the world and the Prairies have excellent prospects for solar. Not to mention the fact that clean energy technologies offer numerous business opportunities for economic growth, which also expands Canada's trade options. Just look at China where investments low carbon manufacturing as well as solar and EVs have created new and booming markets. And the irony is that the vast majority of Canadians want a renewable energy transition to happen. According to the Pembina Institute, even 70 per cent of Albertans are worried about their heavy dependence on oil and gas, and more than 80 per cent think their government should be planning for new opportunities for energy workers. Which suggests to me that most Canadians know the world is undergoing an energy transition and are worried that our country will be left in the dust by Europe and China where efforts to reach Net Zero are accelerating. Look, the truth is we don't have much time to get this done, given that climate driven, extreme weather events — from flash floods in Texas, to the massive forest fires in Manitoba — are accelerating. So instead of building pipelines and mining one of the world's largest carbon sinks, maybe we should be focused on investments that will bring Canada into an economically stable, low carbon future. Maybe it's time for our leaders to halt the fool's errand of looking to the past for short-term, carbon-heavy solutions, and start talking to Canadians about a just transition to clean energy. One that will guarantee a better, safer, more secure future for our grandchildren. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more at
