Madam Speaker, the minister said, “The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.” Given the missile attacks launched by the Iranian regime today, I think we can agree that the minister's statement was prescient and accurate.
The minister also went on to add, a few days ago, in the same address to the UN, “We are concerned that a war between Israel and Hezbollah would have devastating consequences, while adding to the already severe humanitarian, economic and political crises in Lebanon.” The minister was also prescient on that particular point.
Over the past week, over one million people have been displaced in Lebanon. In addition, we have also witnessed tens of thousands of Israelis having to evacuate their homes in the north of Israel. The suffering on all sides needs to end. All parties must respect UN Security Council resolution 1701. The UN's Blue Line buffer zone has been violated, and it is integral that Israel and Hezbollah agree to an immediate ceasefire that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes and live in peace.
Such a humanitarian situation is clearly unsustainable. The longer the conflict rages, the more innocent lives will be scarred by it and the deeper those scars will be. At a time like this, we must all take a moment to reflect on the devastation we have been watching in the region over the past year after the heinous terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's invasion of Gaza that followed. We should all be horrified to see innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians pay the ultimate price for the failure of a much-needed ceasefire. We have been watching extremists on all sides dictate the course of the conflict.
Over 100 Israeli hostages have yet to return home from captivity at the hands of the terrorist entity Hamas. In addition, the fighting has displaced practically the entire population of the Gaza Strip. If there is one lesson to be learned from the experience of the past year, it is that innocent Palestinians, women and children, should not have to bear the price of defeating Hamas. By the same token, Lebanese civilians should not bear the consequences of Hezbollah's terrorist actions. Rather, the Lebanese should have the right to live in peace and security throughout Lebanon.
Therefore our government must remain steadfast in affirming our wholehearted commitment to an immediate ceasefire and to ensuring that we are taking concrete diplomatic steps to achieve the same. This includes leveraging our influence in the region to pressure all sides to de-escalate. We should all remain committed to humanitarian relief and medical aid for all displaced civilians in the region. Canada should never aid and abet violence. We owe it to the Lebanese—