A senior Hamas official says Canada’s call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is helping to isolate the Israeli government.
“The Hamas movement is watching the growing calls by several Western government to end the aggression on Gaza, in addition to the other calls worldwide demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip, the last of which was a statement by Canada, Australia, and New Zealand backing [a] sustainable ceasefire in Gaza,” said Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad in a
video statement posted on pro-Palestinian social media accounts on Dec. 18.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after it conducted raids inside Israeli territory on Oct. 7, with the surprise attack leading to the deaths of about 1,200 people and the kidnapping of about 240.
Military operations by the Israel Defence Forces, first via air and artillery strikes and now by ground manoeuvres, have since caused a heavy civilian toll.
Canada has from the start backed Israel’s right to self-defence according to international law, and had for weeks refrained from calling for a ceasefire, instead asking for humanitarian pauses.
One such pause lasted one week in late November and led to the release of over 100 hostages kept by Hamas and 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The Liberal government changed its stance on Dec. 12, issuing a
joint statement with Commonwealth allies Australia and New Zealand supporting “urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire.”
The same day, Canada voted in favour of a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire and explicitly stating it “does not condemn Hamas or make any specific reference to the extremist group.” Only 10 countries opposed the resolution, including the United States.
Mr. Hamad previously told media that the Oct. 7 operation was just the first among many. “We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again,” he said in an
interview with the Lebanon Broadcasting International. “The Al-Aqsa Flood [the Oct. 7 attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth.”
A ceasefire would leave Israel unable to continue its raids and allow Hamas time to regroup. Canada considers Hamas a terrorist group and Defence Minister Bill Blair
said in October it should be “eliminated.”
Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, who has lobbied in favour of a ceasefire,
said the government changed its stance after listening to Canadians “coast-to-coast expressing themselves.”
Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rallies have been taking place across Canada since Oct. 7. Protesters have taken to the streets, highways, and now
shopping malls.
Acts of anti-Semitism have also rocked communities, with Jewish institutions being targeted by gunshots and Molotov cocktails.
An Ottawa youth has also been
charged with terrorism-related offences for a plot said to be targeted at the Jewish community.
