Canada welcomes Gaza ceasefire vote at United Nations Security Council: Joly

OTTAWA — Canada welcomes the United Nations Security Council’s call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas during Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Monday. 

Canada has been asking for a sustainable ceasefire since December, she said at a press conference in Ottawa.

“We’ve clearly stated that the violence must stop and this ceasefire must be linked to hostages being released, Hamas laying down its weapons and also making sure that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza,” Joly said. 

“We hope that this (resolution) will be sending a clear message to all parties involved.”

The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, which ends April 9.

That means such a pause would only last for two weeks. The draft resolution notes that such a break in the fighting should lead “to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.”

The United States abstained from the vote on the resolution, which drew immediate protest from the Israeli prime minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation and accused the U.S. of “retreating” from what he calls a “principled position.” 

The Israeli delegation was expected to present White House officials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

The resolution passed 14-0 after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. had been “consistent” in its support for a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal. “The reason we abstained is because this resolution text did not condemn Hamas,” Kirby said.

Hamas said it welcomed the Security Council’s vote but said the ceasefire needs to be permanent.

More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency. A report from an international authority on hunger warned on March 18 that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory’s 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.

Joly has already raised concerns with Israel and other countries in the region about a potential military operation in Rafah, she said. 

“We know that Gaza is one of the most catastrophic place to live on Earth right now,” Joly said. 

“A military operation would be devastating because these people have nowhere else to go.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press