STATEMENT - CUPW Calls on the Canadian Government to Demand an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

Over 10, 000 people - including thousands of children – have been killed since violence began in Israel and Palestine on October 7, 2023, and the death toll continues to rise as the war enters its second month. CUPW condemns the targeting, kidnapping and killing of innocent civilians and calls on the Canadian Government to demand an immediate ceasefire.  

Palestinians in Gaza are being denied clean water, food, electricity, and other necessities of life. Nowhere is safe in Gaza and as over a million Palestinians have been forced from their homes. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue, and a ground invasion has begun. Israeli state officials have made clear statements that they intend to clear Gaza of its inhabitants What is happening today in Gaza, according to international bodies and experts, constitutes a genocide.  

Collective punishment of the people of Gaza is a clear violation of Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. 

Israeli apartheid and its military occupation of Palestine has led to countless abuses, from daily indignities and harassment at checkpoints, housing demolitions, forced removals for illegal settlement expansion, and murder with impunity. 

CUPW has a longstanding resolution and constitutional policy to support the struggle of Palestinian workers and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign until Israel recognizes the right of Palestinian people to self-determination and complies with international law – including respecting the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in accordance with UN Resolution 194. 

The path forward for a just and lasting peace is for Israel to end the occupation and adhere to international law. The first step is an immediate ceasefire to stop the killing of innocent civilians and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.