Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clapped back at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media after Trudeau lectured Israel about targeting civilians in the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday.
“I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint. The world is watching, on TV, on social media – we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents,” Trudeau said.
“The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.”
In response, Netanyahu called out Trudeau X, writing, “@JustinTrudeau It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,”
“While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way. Israel provides civilians in Gaza humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas prevents them from leaving at gunpoint.
“It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime — targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians.”
Trudeau also expressed his concerns about the Al Shifa Hospital, which was surrounded by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) this week.
“The human tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza is heart-wrenching, especially the suffering we see in and around the Al Shifa Hospital,” said Trudeau.
The Al Shifa Hospital is the largest in Gaza and was surrounded by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) this week.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that the IDF conducted a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area” of the hospital, however no further details were given other than that the IDF was taking steps to avoid harm to civilians.
Israel has been accusing Hamas of using hospitals for protection, alleging that Hamas’ main command centre is beneath the Al Shifa Hospital.
Both the hospital and Hamas have denied these allegations.
“I have been clear that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules,” said Trudeau on Tuesday at an event in Vancouver.
Trudeau also took aim at Hamas, demanding that they stop the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields and release all hostages “immediately and unconditionally.”
Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government in 2002.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs also called out Trudeau over his recent comments, posting on X, “Rhetoric like PM @JustinTrudeau‘s today enables Hamas to continue to cynically & criminally use the Palestinian civilian population as human shields to advance its genocidal goal. And, while surely not his intent, such assertions also fuel #Antisemitism at home here in #Canada.”
This isn’t the first time Trudeau has placed the blame on Israel since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th.
In October, Trudeau implied Israel was behind an attack on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City despite the United States saying its own intel concluded that Israel was not responsible for the hospital blast, which Hamas claimed killed hundreds of people..
Days later, the Canadian government changed its tune, saying that it now believes that the explosion was “caused by an errant rocket fired from Gaza.”
When the explosion first occurred, Trudeau, while not mentioning Israel by name, implied that Israel was behind the attack.
“The news coming out of Gaza is horrific and absolutely unacceptable … International humanitarian and international law needs to be respected in this, and in all cases. There are rules around wars and it’s not acceptable to hit a hospital,” said Trudeau.
Other senior cabinet ministers also laid the blame on Israel, including Melanie Joly and Francois-Philippe Champagne.
With the Israel-Hamas war now into its second month, those still trapped in Gaza are living without electricity or running water and food rations are beginning to run out.
There are still many people trapped in the Gaza Strip with connections to Canada, where there is no longer any place to take cover for safety, according to the UN.
On Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada said that it had been in contact with 390 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members still in Palestinian territory.
The agency said that they are aware of at least one Canadian who is still missing.
Ten Canadians escaped from the Gaza Strip on Monday, bringing the total number of Canadians and their relatives who have been evacuated to 356, according to the National Post.
