OTTAWA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to call for further humanitarian pauses.
Trudeau said it was crucial to "ensure safe and unimpeded access to life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians" during the war, according to a readout issued by his office, adding that he expressed support for "urgent international efforts toward a sustainable ceasefire."
Earlier Tuesday, Trudeau and the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement calling for the resumption of the seven-day pause in fighting that ended earlier this month.
The three also called for "efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war, the first time the government of Canada had officially used the word "ceasefire" regarding the conflict.
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has exceeded 18,400 since the eruption of the Hamas-Israel conflict on Oct. 7, after Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, figures released by the two warring sides show. ■