The Member of Parliament responsible for Canada’s foreign aid has recently urged Israel to cease restrictions on food aid flowing into the Gaza Strip. This call comes amid ongoing tensions with Israel's ambassador, who rebuffed Ottawa's claims that the country is breaching humanitarian laws.
Randeep Sarai, the Secretary of State for International Development, highlighted the critical situation in Gaza, calling it “the hungriest place on earth” in a post on the platform X on Monday. He emphasized the dire need for humanitarian assistance, reflecting concerns raised globally about the region's worsening hunger crisis.
In response to security concerns over Hamas, the Israeli government has established an agency, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to manage the distribution of aid in four selected locations across Gaza. This decision effectively closed down hundreds of distribution sites previously operated by international organizations. Israeli officials assert that this move was necessitated to prevent aid from reaching Hamas; however, the World Food Programme has reported that significant diversion of aid had not been observed.
The new distribution system, while backed by both Israel and the United States, does not extend to northern areas of Gaza, where Israeli authorities have indicated they wish to clear out the Palestinian population. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims it has efficiently managed aid distribution and contested reports of violence during these operations.
However, the United Nations has criticized this arrangement, asserting that it does not effectively address the rampant hunger crisis and permits Israel to manipulate aid distribution as a means of exerting power over the Palestinian population. Aid organizations have described chaotic and violent scenes as desperate civilians rush to obtain assistance while facing the threat of gunfire from Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of distribution centers.
Organizations like Oxfam have raised alarms about the dangers of allowing a conflicting party to control aid distribution, advocating instead for international humanitarian organizations to operate independently to ensure transparency and accountability. This brings to the forefront the complex ramifications of politicizing humanitarian aid.
Sarai reiterated the Canadian government’s appeal for an immediate ceasefire and urged Hamas to liberate all hostages. He stressed that civilians ought to be protected and treated with dignity, emphasizing the necessity for humanitarian law to be respected.
In a counterstatement, Israel's Ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, asserted in a social media post that aid continues to be distributed and accused UN agencies of manipulating facts to present a skewed portrayal of Israel. He reiterated the contentious claim that "the UN feeds Hamas" while insisting that the new aid distribution framework is more effective than the prior system that involved international organizations. Notably, this is a claim not widely shared among Western nations, aside from the United States.
Moed criticized UN agencies for undermining Israel's efforts and asserted that they were attempting to remain relevant by disparaging Israel's initiatives to facilitate humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, allegations surfaced from Palestinian health officials and eyewitnesses of Israeli forces opening fire on civilians headed toward an aid distribution center, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 individuals. The Israeli army maintained that their response was targeted at individuals who strayed from the designated routes and disregarded warning shots.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has not disclosed whether it receives public or private financial support from Canada, stating that like many non-profits, it does not reveal its donors. The Liberal government in Canada has faced criticism from human rights organizations for not implementing previously threatened targeted sanctions against Israel amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Meanwhile, international organizations continue to raise alarms about the potential for famine in the region as Israel’s government accelerates settlement expansions in the West Bank.
