July 21, 2025 – Ottawa (Ontario) – World Affairs Canada
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Portugal, Portugal Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and the European Commissioner responsible for Equality, Preparation and Crisis Management, published the following declaration today:
We, the signatories listed below, unite our forces to send a simple and urgent message: the war in Gaza must stop immediately.
The suffering of civilians in Gaza have reached new heights. The Israeli government’s help model is dangerous, feeds instability and deprives Gazani of human dignity. We condemn the contribution of droppings and the inhuman massacre of civilians, whose children, who try to support their most elementary water and food needs. It is appalling that more than 800 Palestinians were killed when they were looking for help. The refusal of the Israeli government to provide essential humanitarian aid to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must respect the obligations incumbent upon it under international humanitarian law.
The hostages cruelly retained in captivity by Hamas since October 7, 2023 continue to suffer terribly. We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release. A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of repatriating them and putting an end to the suffering of their families.
We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift the restrictions on the delivery of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their vital mission in complete safety and efficiency.
We call on all parties to protect civilians and civilians as well as to respect the obligations of international humanitarian law. Proposals to move the Palestinian population to a “humanitarian city” are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.
We firmly oppose any measure aimed at a territorial or demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territories. The E1 colonization plan announced by the Israeli civil administration, if it is implemented, would divide the future Palestinian state into two, constituting a blatant violation of international law, and would seriously compromise the solution to two states. Meanwhile, the construction of colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated, while the violence of the colonists against the Palestinian and Palestinians is skyrocketed. It must stop.
We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to put an end to this terrible conflict, by an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. New blood effusions are in vain. We reaffirm our total support for the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this.
We are prepared to take new measures to support an immediate cease-fire and a political path to security and peace for the Israelis, the Palestinians and the whole region.
This declaration was signed by:
- The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Portugal, Portugal Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
- The European Commissioner responsible for equality, preparation and crisis management
