Canadian Church Groups Urge Ceasefire and Humanitarian Corridor for Gaza

A statement from KAIROS Canada and its member churches and agencies calls for justice and accountability and for the reinforcement of the rights of all civilians to life and to freedom from violence and discrimination. The signatories are the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Mennonite Central Committee of Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and The United Church of Canada.

The statement urges the Canadian Government to support a ceasefire and a negotiated resolution to the violence. “We join the voices of those in the region and others in Canada and internationally in urging the Canadian Government to support a ceasefire and a negotiated resolution to this violence,” the statement says. It also states that “the international response must comply with international humanitarian law” and urges Canada “to take leadership in calling for a corridor to provide humanitarian relief to Gaza.”

The statement says it supports earlier statements from the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, the World Council of Churches, Diakonia, and Amnesty International. Those statements responded to what the source describes as spiraling violence and war crimes against Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

The document includes calls to action directed to the Government of Canada, to all people of goodwill, and to Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly. The source does not describe specific responses from these officials or governments.

Calling for a relief corridor for Gaza is, in the statement’s framing, a call to protect civilians who are most exposed to harm (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The statement’s title describes it as showing solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli partners, and its language addresses civilians on both sides of the conflict.

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