Canada joins 24 nations calling on Israel to end war in Gaza, aid restrictions

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and 24 of her counterparts abroad have signed a joint statement saying “the war in Gaza must end now.”

The signatories — who include the foreign ministers of France, Japan and the U.K., and the European Union commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management — call Israel’s aid distribution system “dangerous.”

They say it’s “horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.”

That death toll is based on figures released by the UN human rights office and the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The ministers are calling on the Israeli government to lift all restrictions on aid delivery and to “enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs” to do their work safely and effectively.

While the United States, Qatar and Egypt did not sign the letter, the ministers who did sign say they support the efforts of those three countries to negotiate a ceasefire.

— With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.