Australia, Canada, New Zealand back efforts towards Gaza ceasefire
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Palestinians gather outside Nasser hospital following Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis, December 12, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
OTTAWA - Canada, Australia and New Zealand support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, the prime ministers of the three countries said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
"We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza. The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians," they said in the statement.
A ceasefire cannot be one-sided and Hamas must release all hostages and stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, they added. REUTERS