Canada’s foreign affairs minister arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday for a visit to Israel and Jordan, where she is discussing the impacts of the attack by Hamas on Israel and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“I’m in Israel to extend Canada’s support to those impacted by the terrorist attack by Hamas,” Mélanie Joly wrote Friday in a statement on the X platform, formerly Twitter.
“I’ll meet with Canadians who are on their way home and with officials to better understand the situation on the ground and the humanitarian impact on Israeli and Palestinian civilians.”
A statement from Global Affairs Canada said Joly will “reaffirm Canada’s support for Israel and its right to defend itself in accordance with international law,” while pushing forward collective efforts to ensure the swift passage of humanitarian aid and the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
It says she will engage with the foreign affairs minister for both Israel and Jordan.
The three-day trip comes after Hamas, which Canada considers a terrorist organization, staged a deadly massacre in Israel last Saturday, with ensuing Israeli bombardments killing hundreds in besieged Gaza.
Israel’s military told about one million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza on Friday and head to the southern part of the sealed-off coastal enclave ahead of an expected ground invasion.
The United Nations warned that would be impossible and potentially calamitous on a 24-hour deadline.
