Press Release for Virtual Press Conference to be held March 19, 2025 at 10 am EST

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Time: Mar 19, 2025 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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OAKVILLE, ON, March 18, 2025 /CNW/ - Israeli Army has resumed bombing in Gaza, cut off electricity and humanitarian aid, and is starving the entire population of Gaza.

The Israeli Army has violated the ceasefire agreement and international law again and conducted heavy bombing in Gaza massacring 404 Palestinians mostly women and children. A humanitarian aid worker and a staff member of UOSSM Canada Mohammad Rayash had 13 members of his family killed last night including children. Despite a ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have started bombing Gaza once again violating international law and massacring innocent civilians. This relentless assault underscores the urgency of international intervention to protect lives and uphold international humanitarian law.

Canadian Organizations Demand Action Against War Crimes in Gaza and call upon PM Carney to take action.

Canadian humanitarian and advocacy organizations are urgently calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Government of Canada to take immediate action in response to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. A copy of this statement has been sent to all Canadian MPs and media outlets.

The situation in Gaza has reached an alarming and tragic state as Israel has once again cut off electricity, food, water, and medical aid to the civilian population. This deliberate starvation of civilians constitutes a war crime, and we urge Canada to condemn these violations of international law.

We are calling on the Canadian government to immediately impose a complete two-way arms embargo on Israel. Supplying arms that are being used to bomb buildings filled with children, destroy hospitals, and target medical services is both illegal and immoral under Canadian and international law. This is a clear violation of Articles 6(3), 7, and 11 of the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as Article 1 of the Geneva Convention.

Article 6(3) of the Arms Trade Treaty prohibits the transfer of arms when there is a reasonable suspicion that they will be used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or attacks on civilians. Tragically, over 60,000 Palestinians have been officially killed by the Israeli army, most of whom are women and children. According to The Lancet (2024), an estimated 186,000 additional deaths are attributed to the current war on Gaza. In June 2024, Save the Children revealed that more than 16,000 children had been killed, and a further 21,000 were missing, including at least 4,000 presumed buried under rubble or killed in mass graves. These numbers have since multiplied significantly as the genocidal assault on Gaza and its children is now in its 17th month.

Gaza is no longer habitable due to incessant carpet bombing over the past 17 months. The Israeli military has destroyed more than 30 water wells, including the Canada Well built with Canadian taxpayer dollars; effectively eliminating access to clean water. As an occupying force, Israel has an obligation to protect the population and infrastructure of Gaza. Canada must respect and enforce international law, including the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and must not supply arms to Israel directly or indirectly through the United States.

We call on PM Carney and the Canadian government to take the following actions:

1. Demand full compliance with the ceasefire agreement and an end to the bombing and ongoing killing of civilians, including sniper attacks on women and children.
2. Demand the immediate release of all hostages including more than 2,000 Palestinian children held in Israeli administrative detention without charge.
3. Condemn and take action to stop the war crimes of cutting off electricity, food, and water to the civilian population.
4. Demand immediate humanitarian access to Gaza, including the provision of food, water, and medical aid. The current blockade is illegal and immoral, with children and babies at risk of starvation and death from exposure.
5. Demand an end to the bombing of buildings in the West Bank and the forced expulsion of over 40,000 Palestinians from refugee camps over the past 4 months.
6. Implement a complete two-way arms embargo on Israel, including the cessation of supplies of F-35 jets and parts used to bomb "safe zones" and destroy entire neighborhoods.
7. Uphold Canada's commitment to international law and human rights.
8. Allow international monitors into Gaza and the West Bank to protect civilians especially the children from extermination.

Canada must not be complicit in these war crimes. We stand with international law and demand that Canada take decisive action to protect human lives and human dignity.

Event Speakers:

• Hugh Doherty, CSRDN
• Professor Ilan Pappe- Israeli Historian, Political Scientist
• Dr. Aliya Khan, Doctors for Humanity
• Dr. Wafaa Hasan
• Dr. Salman Khalid, ER physician, Halton Healthcare Services
• Noora Sharrab

Signed by:

• Canadians in Support of Refugees in Dire Need (CSRDN)
• Doctors For Humanity (DFH)
• Justice For All (JFA)
• Action 4 Palestine: Healthcare Workers Coalition
• United For Peace – Canadian Interfaith Coalition
• Canadian Muslim Healthcare Network (CMHN)
• EyeWitness Gaza
• Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA)

SOURCE CSRDN

For media inquiries, please contact: Canadians in Support of Refugees in Dire Need: [email protected]