Question Period Note: Violence in Gaza

Violence in Gaza occurred November 12-14 2019 following an Israeli airstrike that killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander. In response, rockets were launched into Israel by PIJ.

• Canada unequivocally condemns the rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which have targeted, killed and injured civilians.

• The protection of civilians is absolutely necessary. Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in peace, with dignity, and free from violence.

• Canada has called for calm and supports the continued efforts led by the United Nations and Egypt to de-escalate the situation in Gaza. We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain hopeful that calm will prevail between Gaza and Israel.

• Israel has the right to take the necessary measures to protect the security of its citizens against attacks from terrorist groups, in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.

• We are concerned by the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and saddened by the loss of life.

Palestinians in Gaza face high levels of acute vulnerability in the context of a protracted crisis. Recurrent violence, restrictions on the movement of people and goods, limited economic growth, poor governance, and poverty have eroded Gazans' resilience. Approximately 82 percent of the population require some form of humanitarian assistance. Unemployment rates are among the highest in the world, the majority of the population is food insecure, 96 percent of the groundwater in Gaza is unfit for human consumption and electricity is available only a few hours a day.

Against this backdrop, protests began in March 2018 as part of the "Great March of Return". The resulting clashes have led to more than 250 Palestinians being killed and over 23,600 injured.

While the protests have since diminished in intensity, violence between groups in Gaza and Israel continues.

The most recent escalation of violence occurred from November 12 to 14 2019, following an Israeli airstrike that killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander and his wife. In response, approximately 500 rockets were launched into Israel by PIJ, a listed terrorist organization in Canada, and Red Alert sirens were activated across Israel and in Tel Aviv. This was the first time since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas that schools and workplaces were closed.

Israel's counterstrikes on targets in Gaza resulted in 34 deaths in Gaza, including of 3 women and 8 children, and in 111 injuries.

An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire went into effect on November 14, but the situation remains volatile and could escalate again.

Like-minded governments and senior representatives of the United Nations issued communications condemning the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and calling for de-escalation. On November 13, Global Affairs Canada tweeted: "Canada strongly condemns the unacceptable firing of rockets at civilians in #Israel https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash. Immediate de-escalation is necessary. We fully support the efforts of Egypt and the UN in this regard."

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