OTTAWA - The Canadian government is assessing how it can assist Palestinians in Gaza as military personnel are deployed to monitor the ceasefire. Alexandre Lévêque, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, informed the House of Commons foreign affairs committee that no decisions have been made regarding the resources or types of assistance Canada could provide. "The department is working on options to provide to the ministers and prime minister on where we can be most helpful. We have areas of expertise," Lévêque stated.

Canada has sent both civilian and military personnel to the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel, which is staffed by officials from countries supporting a peace deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump last month. This center, which includes Israeli and American military officials, monitors the ceasefire and aims to advance the peace plan. "We are embedded, through a civilian and military presence in this group, in this cell that is there to observe and document the daily occurrences of the ceasefire," Lévêque explained.

Despite accusations of ceasefire violations from both Hamas and the Israeli military, Lévêque expressed cautious optimism about the ceasefire's durability. "The ceasefire has had a few false starts already, but overall it is holding. It will require constant attention by global leaders in order to keep the pressure on all sides for this to continue to hold," he said.

Countries with personnel at the monitoring center are considering transforming it into an international stabilization force. The United States plans to request the United Nations to initiate such a mission, which could involve peacekeeping or disarmament efforts. Lévêque noted that U.S. support for a UN mission is encouraging, as it enhances the credibility and legitimacy of multinational institutions. He stated, "A UN mission has a much higher likelihood of drawing the credibility, the legitimacy that the world is looking to, and will therefore also increase the likelihood of military contributions of a peacekeeping nature, or at least of an observation nature."

Lévêque acknowledged that the federal government is uncertain about how it can assist Palestinians in Gaza, given that the conflict is ongoing. He suggested that Canada’s expertise in landmine removal and medical care in conflict zones could be beneficial. He also mentioned that looting and criminality in Gaza are likely to decrease once food and medicine become available. Currently, he noted, agriculture and economic activity are not feasible in the region.

While Lévêque did not indicate that Canada would deploy troops for a UN peacekeeping mission, Prime Minister Mark Carney has not dismissed the possibility. Carney recently attended a summit in Egypt to discuss strategies for implementing Trump’s peace plan. Lévêque highlighted Canada’s long-standing involvement in training Palestinian security forces, suggesting that this effort could be expanded as part of a stabilization initiative. "There’s a good basis from which to start there. It would need to be brought up to scale to then train Palestinian security forces, and then bring them into Gaza," he said.

In the long term, Lévêque mentioned that Canada could assist in consolidating essential Palestinian institutions, particularly in areas of transparency, rule of law, and democratic governance. He emphasized that this process should begin with elections expected to occur in the next few years. Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld noted Canada’s experience in establishing postwar governance in Kosovo and East Timor.

MPs questioned Lévêque about the terms Canada secured from the Palestinian Authority in exchange for recognizing a Palestinian state, particularly regarding the commitment to hold elections next year without Hamas's participation. When Conservative MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman asked if Canada would retract its recognition of Palestinian statehood if no election occurs by 2027, Lévêque clarified that such a decision is irreversible. "My understanding of the law, and international law, is that once a state is recognized, it cannot be unrecognized. This is a move, a decision, that happens once," he stated.

The Palestinian Authority has indicated that elections can only take place once polling can resume in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, which they claim requires at least 12 months of peace in Gaza. Conservative MP Tamara Kronis challenged Global Affairs officials regarding Carney's statement about arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Kronis questioned why Canada would assume the ICC has jurisdiction when Israel has its own judicial system.

Rebecca Netley, an international law adviser at Global Affairs, responded, "It's not for GAC to assess whether the arrest warrant was properly issued. I would not say that the ICC concluded that Israel was a failed state. I would say that the ICC concluded through its lens that it did not see evidence that an investigation had been conducted."

Lévêque also noted that sanctions on certain Israeli leaders and violent settlers in the West Bank seem to be having a positive impact, as there has been a decrease in calls for the annexation of Palestinian land and a slight reduction in violence.