Canada reassessing relationship with Israel after its airstrike on Qatar

EDMONTON, Canada (MNTV) — Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand has condemned Israel’s airstrike on Doha, saying Ottawa is reassessing its relations with Israel while advancing plans to formally recognize Palestine.

Speaking at a news conference in Edmonton, where the Liberal Party is holding its national caucus, Anand said Canada views the strike as “a violation of Qatari airspace” that killed civilians while Qatar was working to mediate peace in the Middle East.

“The attack yesterday on Qatar was unacceptable,” she said. “There were deaths on the ground at a time when Qatar was trying to facilitate peace.”

Anand added that Canada remains “on a track to recognize Palestine formally” since announcing that intention on July 30, but stressed that the government is also “evaluating the relationship with Israel.”

Highlighting the humanitarian toll in Gaza, Anand said Canada is the world’s third-largest bilateral donor of aid to Palestinians and wants “to see the food trucks being able to pass through on land.”

Israel said its Tuesday strike in Doha was a “precise” operation aimed at senior Hamas leaders. Qatari officials condemned it as a “cowardly” attack on residential buildings sheltering members of Hamas’s political bureau.

Qatar, together with the United States and Egypt, has been a key mediator in attempts to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023, according to health authorities in the enclave.