Because of the Gaza war

Canada stops all arms deliveries to Israel

Before the Middle East conflict flared up again, Israel was one of the main recipients of weapons from Canada - since the major attack by Hamas on Israel, the export of lethal weapons has been stopped. Now Israel is no longer to receive any non-lethal weapons of war either - a move that was met with harsh criticism there.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced the decision to the Toronto Star newspaper on Tuesday (local time). According to government circles, the situation on the ground no longer allows weapons to be exported to Israel. Their counterpart in Israel reacted indignantly: this "undermines Israel's right to self-defense against Hamas terrorists". History will judge Canada's current actions harshly, explained Israel Katz in the online service X. 

Meeting in Washington on planned offensive in Rafah
Against the backdrop of disagreements between Israel and the USA over the Gaza war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to the US capital Washington next week, the Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday. Earlier, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated that an Israeli delegation would visit Washington "at the request of US President Joe Biden" to discuss the planned Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip - the USA is opposed to this measure.

USA wants to present alternatives to ground offensive
According to a media report, the USA wants to show Israel alternatives to a ground offensive in Rafah. US President Biden's administration is weighing up several options, the news portal "Axios" reported on Tuesday, citing two US officials. One idea is to postpone a military operation in Rafah and focus on stabilizing the humanitarian situation in the north of the embattled coastal area. Such a plan would also include the construction of shelters for the civilian population to be evacuated from Rafah, it was said. The aim is to reduce the risk of a massive number of casualties in the event of an invasion of Rafah.

Another idea is to concentrate on securing the Egyptian side of the border in an initial phase, it was said. This would be part of a joint plan by the USA, Egypt and Israel to destroy Islamist Hamas tunnels under the border and create an infrastructure to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip, "Axios" further reported, citing US officials.

Offensive in Rafah a military necessity for Israel
Israel repeatedly emphasizes that Hamas cannot be completely defeated without an offensive in Rafah. It is a military necessity to smash the remaining Islamist battalions there.

The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, in which, according to Israeli figures, around 1,160 people were murdered and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 31,800 people have been killed so far.