'What a joke': Trudeau slammed after seemingly calling for Israeli ceasefire then backtracking
The Canadian prime minister told reporters on Friday "we need ceasing of the levels of violence" and a "humanitarian pause" in Gaza.
Justin Trudeau is being called out after it seemingly appeared he was going to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war following a summit in the United States.
On Nov. 3, the Canadian prime minister was among leaders from 11 other countries attending the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders' Summit. Following the first-ever event, the Liberal Party leader held a media availability at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C.
Responding to a question about calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing war, Trudeau said he finds it "difficult to watch the news every night and see the impacts on civilians, including children, and not want it to stop."
"We need to see a cease-, we need to see a humanitarian pause so we can flow, we need ceasing of the levels of violence that we're seeing," he continued. "We need to see civilians protected, we need to see a humanitarian pause to get aid in, to get Canadians out, to get vulnerable people out, to get hostages released. These are the things that the people around the world are looking for."
In a clip posted to Instagram on Friday, hundreds of people slammed Trudeau for his response.
"What the h— is a 'humanitarian pause'?! You take a quick break to stop killing people and start again when you feel like it? Insane," someone wrote.
"Keep the pressure on him folks. He's starting to crack," someone else shared.
"He can't even get that word past his lips. It wants to come out but he's fighting it so badly," one person penned.
"And another one of those Freudian slips," another added.
"Say it, Trudeau! Why can't you just say it!" a person replied.
During the press conference, Trudeau also gave a statement on the hundreds of Canadians currently trapped in Gaza. On Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced those people would soon be able to flee the besieged territory.
I spoke with my Israeli counterpart @elicoh1 and received assurances that Canadians & their families will be able to leave Gaza beginning in the coming days. My Egyptian counterpart confirmed their cooperation. GAC will communicate the latest information directly with Canadians.
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) November 3, 2023
"We're encouraged by the assurances that Minister Joly received from Israel and from Egypt that Canadians and their families will be able to leave Gaza in the coming days," Trudeau told reporters Friday.
While the situation remains fluid, a government source told Radio-Canada there would be windows to evacuate Canadian nationals from the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
According to CBC News, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said it is in contact with at least 516 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members who have been trapped for nearly a month.
On Friday, GAC gave an update saying it has provided regional partners a list of "close" to 450 eligible Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members hoping to leave Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the United States' calls for a "humanitarian pause" to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza. He insisted there would be no temporary ceasefire until Hamas releases its roughly 240 hostages.
The U.N. said on Friday around 1.5 million people in Gaza, about 70 per cent of the population, have fled their homes as overwhelmed hospitals say they're nearing collapse.
On U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's third trip to Israel since the war broke out on Oct. 7, Netanyahu said Israel was "going with full steam ahead," unless hostages are released by Hamas.
More than 9,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 1,400 have died on the Israeli side, the Associated Press reported.
