'EMBARRASSING:' Hamas thanks Liberal gov't for ceasefire support
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Social media users were quick to voice their outrage after a spokesperson for Hamas thanked the Liberal government following Canada’s vote in favour of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
“We welcome these developments and consider them in the right direction towards isolation of the fascist Israeli government globally and ending the long evil occupation in our modern time,” senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad said in a video posted to social media site X.
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Hamad also commended Australia and New Zealand.
Last Tuesday, Canada voted in favour of a non-binding United Nations resolution that calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the war.
Reaction to the Hamas video message was swift, with one social media user calling the thank you to Canada “embarrassing for the Trudeau Liberals” and another suggesting “Canada needs real change.”
Yet another X user said, “I did not have Hamas endorsing Trudeau on my 2023 bingo card.”
Even U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz weighed in, posting on X that the video message was a “disturbing comment on Canada’s foreign policy.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, without referencing the video, posted to Twitter on Wednesday night, calling Hamas “terrorists” and saying they “do not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.
“Our statement was clear: for a ceasefire to be sustainable, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms,” Joly said. “They have no future in Gaza.
“We continue to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on October 7, the appalling loss of life, and the heinous acts of violence perpetrated in those attacks, including the orchestrated acts of sexual violence.”
It came after federal government officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, spoke ahead of last week’s vote.
“From the very beginning, we have said that Israel has the right to defend itself,” Joly told reporters before vote. “How Israel defends itself matters.”
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Trudeau told reporters before the vote that “Canada is committed to ensuring that Israelis and Palestinians get to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders in peaceful and successful states.”
The resolution passed the UN General Assembly with 153 votes in favour, 10 against and 23 abstentions.
The Gaza health authority — controlled by Hamas, a listed terrorist entity in Canada — reported last week that more than 18,200 Gazans have been killed since Oct. 7.
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