Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says time is running out to help people in Gaza.

In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto this afternoon, Joly is expected to plead for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict to allow more aid to get into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.

Joly's speech will also urge that the more than 200 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza must be released.

Her call comes as the Canadian Armed Forces confirms it has sent special forces to Canada's embassy in Tel Aviv, after Global Affairs Canada requested military support to help prepare for the possible escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.

The fears of a broader conflict have been exacerbated by clashes at the Israeli-Lebanese border, which officials say might lead to the need for an evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon.

The latest conflict began when Hamas militants launched brazen attacks on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, and Israel responded with force, showering Gaza with rockets and in recent days launching a ground offensive.