Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, on October 7, the Hamas terrorist movement launched an extremely violent, barbaric attack on the territory of the State of Israel from the Gaza Strip. Sadly, this date is already going down in human history as the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, with more than 1,500 people having lost their lives and nearly 3,500 wounded.

When unequivocally speaking out against this barbaric and inhumane attack, our thoughts go out to the Israeli victims and their loved ones, the active members of the military and innocent civilians, including Israeli Canadians. As a result of this fanaticism, the region is now in a state of war and experiencing a humanitarian crisis.

Our thoughts also go out to the Palestinian civilians, nearly 2,500 of whom have lost their lives and more than 10,000 of whom have been wounded. The death toll already exceeds that of the six-week war in Gaza in 2014, another sad historic record. Trapped in the Gaza Strip, civilians are still trying to survive in the terrible conditions of a war zone, innocent victims of the mounting tensions caused by the Hamas terrorist attack.

These horrendous crimes cannot go unpunished. It will be very complicated to resolve this conflict, which has been going on for decades, and it is hard to remain hopeful that a peaceful solution will be found. However, we mustn’t give up hope. Violence will not solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. As Albert Camus said, “Peace is the only battle worth waging.”

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I take this opportunity given to me today to urge the actors in this conflict to act in respect for international and humanitarian law, to abide by the Geneva Convention and to give priority to saving and protecting the lives of the innocent civilians. Turning to terrorism and religious extremism is and will always be wrong. In these critical moments, I urge for restraint and reflection, for dialogue and for cooler heads to prevail — restraint and reflection that must apply as well within our diverse country.

I also salute the work being done by the Canadian government and our public servants — notably those serving in diplomacy and emergency management — to help and protect Canadian citizens on the ground in Israel and in Gaza, while dealing with difficult situations out of their control.

Colleagues, I am taking a stand here for peace and human rights, both for Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

In my name, and in the name of all the members of the Independent Senators Group, I extend our deepest sympathies and support for the innocent victims of this conflict, and urge all involved to work toward peaceful and sustainable solutions for the benefit of both peoples, as well as for preventing further degeneration into a regional conflict. We need to stand together for peace.

Thank you. Meegwetch.