HAMILTON, Canada

Canada on Friday expressed strong opposition to Israel's plan to occupy Gaza City, warning that the move would worsen the humanitarian crisis and endanger hostages.

"We join many others in viewing that this is wrong, that this action is not going to contribute to an improvement in the humanitarian situation on the ground," Prime Minister Mark Carney told a news conference in Trenton, Ontario.

Warning that the Israeli plan will “put the lives of the hostages at greater risk, rather than lessening it," Carney reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire.

He also called on Palestinian group Hamas to return all the hostages and pledged to "continue to work with our allies, to contribute what we can to achieving those outcomes."

Carney's remarks come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to fully occupy Gaza City was announced early Friday.

Israel has already been facing mounting outrage over its genocide in Gaza, where it has killed more than 61,000 people since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and led to deaths by hunger and starvation.  

Canada 'rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in' armed forces

During his visit to a military facility in Trenton, Carney also made announcements about the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), pledging that his government was "rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces."

He announced that all Canadian Armed Forces members would receive the largest pay raise "in a generation."

"This is part of the strategic investments to meet NATO's 2% defence spending target this year and invest 5% of annual GDP in defence by 2035," said a statement by Carney's office.

He said at the news conference that the move was aimed at "strengthening our military, recognizing their sacrifice, and giving service members the resources, confidence, and certainty they need to serve."