Canada calling for 'humanitarian pauses' to be considered amid Israel-Hamas war

The Canadian government is calling for "humanitarian pauses on hostilities to be considered," amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Tuesday. It's a position that's received the backing of the federal Conservatives, if it means Canadians can get out of Gaza.

"A civilian is a civilian. We need more humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and for Canadians to be able to exit," Joly said, in a post on X that stopped short of calling for a full and immediate ceasefire, which many including the UN secretary-general are calling for as the death toll in the region climbs.

The minister was echoing a brief comment Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made on his way into question period on Tuesday, in which he told reporters that the conversations happening now around temporary humanitarian pauses to allow for safe support to be delivered, are something Canada supports.

• Complete coverage of the Israel-Hamas war

"Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization. They've committed unspeakable atrocities. Our priority throughout this needs to be the continued protection of innocent civilians, the liberation of the hostages," Trudeau said.

"That's why we're engaged closely with our allies on trying to build humanitarian corridors, get aid in, get civilians and foreign nationals out of Gaza."

At a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about a "pause" as well.

"Israel must take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians. It means food, water, medicine and other essential humanitarian assistance must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need them," he said. "It means civilians must be able to get out of harm's way. It means humanitarian pauses must be considered for these purposes."

• Capital Dispatch: Sign up for in-depth political coverage of Parliament Hill

This comes as The Associated Press reports Israel is escalating its bombardment of targets in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where civilians are running out of essential supplies due to the limited access to aid since the war began on Oct. 7. 

Earlier, Defence Minister Bill Blair suggested that even if a ceasefire was called, he doesn't believe Hamas — which Canada has listed as a terrorist entity since 2002 — would abide by it.

"I have no expectation that a terrorist organization would respect international law or any call for a ceasefire," Blair said ahead of Tuesday's federal cabinet meeting, restating Canada's position that as a victim of a "terrorist attack," Israel has a right to defend itself so long as that's done in line with international laws.

Calls for a ceasefire have ramped up in recent days as the situation in Gaza worsens for the more than one million people displaced and seeking assistance, including hundreds of Canadians, amid Israeli retaliatory airstrikes and an anticipated ground invasion.

Several organizations in Canada have called for the restoration of access to the necessities of life in Gaza, and on Friday 33 Liberal, NDP, and Green MPs penned an open letter to Trudeau calling on Canada to support an immediate ceasefire.

The Conservatives have said that as casualties mount, Canada should "resist the temptation" to call for a ceasefire until the Israeli Defense Forces achieves its stated goal of eradicating Hamas, but in a statement on Tuesday, indicated support for "temporary pauses."

"Conservatives support efforts to allow Canadian citizens and other foreign nationals to be able to safely exit Gaza and return to their country of citizenship. Those efforts, by necessity, require temporary pauses in military activity to ensure the safety of those involved," said Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong in a statement.

After weeks of planning, there is still no concrete path towards evacuating Canadians in Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. Officials have said that if and when a window for exits opens, it will likely be for a short period of time and require a massive multinational effort.

"We support temporary pauses for these humanitarian reasons, while continuing to recognize that Israel has a right to defend itself and take action to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas," Chong said. "These temporary pauses must be respected by all."