Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today released the following statement:

“Canada condemns the brazen and indiscriminate attacks that Hamas continues to wage on Israel. Rocket attacks today aimed at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem prove that Hamas continues to target innocent civilians.

“Canada believes that Israel has every right to defend itself, by itself, from such belligerent acts of terrorism.

“The new Palestinian government must exercise its authority in Gaza and bring an immediate end to Hamas’s rocket attacks on Israel, and Hamas must respect the ceasefire agreed upon in 2012.

“The escalation of violence we have seen over the last several days will do nothing to advance the interests of peace.”

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