(Paris) As the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel approaches, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued Saturday that the Israeli response has caused “too many civilian deaths” in Gaza over the past year.
While he defended Israel’s right to defend itself, he deplored the heavy toll of its operations.
“I have denounced several times Israel’s actions which have led to too many civilian deaths. We understand how appalling a year ago the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas was and demanded a response to protect Israeli civilians, and we have always asked and demanded that international law be respected,” he said. he said during a press conference at the Grand Palais in Paris where the Francophonie Summit is being held.
According to Justin Trudeau, “the cost of Israel’s security cannot be the death of civilians in such an intense way.” He reiterated his call for a ceasefire “to bring peace and stability.”
A dispatch from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on October 5 indicates that since the start of the Israeli military offensive “41,825 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the latest report from the Hamas government’s Ministry of Health, whose data is considered reliable by the UN”.
Situation in Lebanon
Justin Trudeau said he was “deeply concerned about the evolving situation in the region”. Israel has decided to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon to respond to Hezbollah and missile attacks from Iran, an ally of the Lebanese Shiite movement.
Justin Trudeau condemned “Iran’s direct military attack against Israel” while emphasizing that “the escalation of tensions that we are seeing at the moment is in no one’s interest.”
We must ensure the protection of Beirut airport to allow the evacuation of Canadians, he asked those involved in the conflict.
So far, a thousand Canadians have left Beirut for Istanbul, Turkey, on commercial flights. Some 6,000 Canadians have expressed an interest in leaving Lebanon; Ottawa still has to contact 2,500 of them over the weekend.
Flights chartered by Canada are not full, noted Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. Seats were thus offered to nationals of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and European countries. “If we offer you a place, please take it, because we are worried about you,” said Mme Joly.
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