Carney Says Israel’s Plan to Take Gaza City Is ‘Wrong’

Israeli soldiers organize military equipment while standing on armoured personnel carriers near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Aug. 6, 2025. Amir Levy/Getty Images

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Israel’s plan to take over the largest city in the Gaza Strip will not improve the humanitarian situation and could worsen the fate of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“We join others, many others in viewing that this is wrong,” Carney said after a defence-related announcement in Trenton on Aug. 8.

The previous day, Israel announced it intends to take control of Gaza City in a bid to defeat Hamas. Israel already controls large swathes of the Strip.

Carney said that Israel’s latest plan is “not going to contribute to an improvement in the humanitarian situation on the ground” and will “put the lives of the hostages at greater risk rather than lessening it.”.

Carney noted how Canada had become more involved in providing humanitarian assistance in recent days, with a military plane making an aid drop in the Gaza Strip.

Canada has also recently joined France and the UK in announcing its intention to recognize Palestine statehood, to the objection of Israel and the United States.

Takeover Plan

Israel has been engaged in war in the Gaza Strip since Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the region, conducted raids inside Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 and kidnapping 251. There are 50 hostages still in captivity, 20 of whom are still alive according to Israeli officials.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released videos of two captives in recent days, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, showing them emaciated. David was shown digging a hole in a Hamas tunnel saying he’s digging his own grave.

On Aug. 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Security Cabinet had approved his proposal to defeat Hamas by taking control of Gaza City. The plan entails allowing a two-month period for residents of the Strip’s largest city to evacuate to the south.

According to Netanyahu, principles for concluding the war include disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and installing Israeli security control, and establishing a civil administration not run by Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu said the plan does not aim to “occupy Gaza” but to free it from Hamas.

The United Nations called the plan a “dangerous escalation” that could worsen the plight of Palestinians.

The U.N. Security Council is set to meet on Aug. 9 to discuss the matter. The only permanent member of the council with veto power that has remained steadfast behind Israel is the United States.