Second day of major security gathering in Halifax to focus on Gaza, China

The conflict in the Middle East and tensions between western nations and China are on the agenda today at the Halifax International Security Forum.

The former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, is scheduled to speak in the morning, as the Gaza war continues in response to the Oct. 7 attacks on his nation by Hamas, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel, and with roughly 200 people still held hostage.

Later in the day, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of defence staff, will be participating in a panel discussion about the Indo-Pacific region, where China has recently had tense encounters with a Canadian naval helicopter, firing flares near the aircraft as it participated in naval exercises.

Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday evening the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East are the result of a breakdown in international law in an increasingly dangerous and violent world.

About 300 delegates from around the world are attending the three-day Halifax International Security Forum, an annual event dedicated to strengthening co-operation among democratic nations.

Most of the sessions at the conference will be focusing on the war in Ukraine even though much of the world’s attention has shifted to the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s invasion has killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, according to Palestinian health authorities.