Palestinian, Israeli advocates in Ottawa reject temporary pauses in Gaza fight.
A temporary respite from Israel-Hamas hostilities should not be Canada's focus, Israeli and Palestinian advocates argued separately on Parliament Hill Monday, even as the Canadian government continued to push for ``humanitarian pauses.''
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a Monday speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto that a humanitarian agreement is urgently needed to help people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.
Israel declared war against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 222 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.
Israeli ground forces are currently attacking Hamas militants and infrastructure in northern Gaza as warplanes strike across the sealed-off territory.
