Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Egypt Monday, where he joined U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders for the signing of a peace plan to end the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
In a pair of social media posts, Carney referred to the start of a new chapter.
"At the Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, we are focused on next steps for peace and security in the Middle East, including ensuring that life-saving aid is delivered urgently," he said.
In a later post, Carney commended "the leadership of President Trump," and leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey "for enabling this step toward a just and lasting peace."
The gathering of world leaders appeared designed to rally international support behind the Trump vision for putting an end to the war. The event lasted only about three hours and was mostly ceremonial.
Carney sat with the other leaders as the peace deal was signed in front of cameras. The document was not shared with journalists in the room or made public.
During remarks to media, as the U.S. president was speaking about the various countries in attendance, Trump appeared to refer to Carney as the "president" of Canada.
"He knew the importance of this. He said, I want to be there. So many people have done that. They called," Trump said.
"I mean, they heard about it, and these are not people that can do that very easily. They have pretty big schedules ... the most powerful people, and I appreciate you being here very much, Mr. president. Fantastic."
Following the remarks, Carney was the first leader to walk over to Trump and reach out for a handshake. The two men exchanged brief remarks, which ended with Trump laughing and tapping Carney on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.
Media were not notified of Carney's trip before it was confirmed through an update to his Sunday itinerary, about three hours before his plane was set to depart.
After arriving in Egypt Monday, Carney briefly spoke with leaders from European and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Palestinian Authority and the secretary general of the United Nations.
The Prime Minister's Office said they discussed "next steps for collaboration: humanitarian, security, (and) reconstruction."
The gathering comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons.
In a statement issued earlier in the day, Carney called the release of hostages, which is part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, "a moment of profound relief" and urged all parties to uphold the ceasefire.
"For the Jewish people, this is a moment that holds two truths at once — a grief for what cannot be restored, and a fragile light of what might still be repaired," Carney said in the statement.
He said it is a time to remember all those murdered in the Hamas' "heinous terrorist attacks" of Oct. 7, 2023, including Canadians Vivian Silver, Netta Epstein, Alexandre Look, Judih Weinstein, Shir Georgy, Ben Mizrachi and Adi Vital-Kaploun, as well as others with close ties to Canada like Tiferet Lapidot.
In the statement, Carney called on all parties to implement the terms of the ceasefire.
That includes establishing a transitional governance for Gaza and working toward a permanent political solution where Israelis and Palestinians peacefully coexist. Hamas must disarm and play no role in the future governance of a demilitarized Palestinian state, reads the statement.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a separate news release following the gathering that Carney outlined the need for Israel to open border crossings for the large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. It said he also called for quick action for a temporary, international stabilization force to ensure Hamas’ disarmament, and to facilitate Israeli withdrawal and protect civilians.
The statement further said that Canada reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the Palestinian Authority’s reform and capacity-building efforts, enabling it to reassume governance responsibilities in Gaza.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a statement that her thoughts are with the families of the Israeli hostages and those who were murdered in the region, including Canadian citizens.
"May their memory be a blessing," she wrote.
In his own statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that two years "after Hamas’ sadistic attack on innocent Israelis, the families of twenty hostages are finally able to hug their loved ones."
"This peace provides an opportunity for the Hamas-launched bloodshed to finally end," Poilievre said. He also thanked Trump "for his leadership negotiating a peaceful closure to this war."
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs called for the federal government to continue supporting the U.S. peace initiative. It said in a news release the federal government "must take a principled stand for peace, which begins with the complete disarmament and removal of Hamas and all terror groups that threaten Israelis and Palestinians."
Hamas militants and affiliates attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 civilians and soldiers and taking roughly 240 people hostage. Israel responded by bombarding the Gaza Strip, killing more than 67,000 civilians and militants, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Even as the deal was signed in Egypt on Monday, major questions remained unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war.
Under the first phase of the deal, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.
The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel's withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.
Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority.
A major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank and Egypt's postwar plan estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion.
Picture Courtesy: Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP
