The Canadian government will begin airlifting aid to Gaza next week, a government official told CBC News.
The Israelis say the violence has been ongoing for months since October 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli airstrikes have killed around 29,000 people, according to Hamas-led Gaza health authorities.
Humanitarian organizations are calling for more aid to be allowed into Gaza to address the serious and worsening crisis there. The World Food Program recently suspended aid shipments to northern Gaza, citing “complete chaos and violence resulting from the breakdown of internal order,” and renewed warnings of the risk of famine in the region.
Some of Canada’s allies have already begun such airdrop operations.
British-funded aid was recently delivered to hospitals in northern Gaza. The Netherlands and France are also participating in airdrop operations.
Jordan has repeatedly dropped aid to field hospitals it operates in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began. Israel approved and adjusted Jordan’s cuts in November, according to Reuters.
Many of the previous airdrops were conducted by the Jordanian Air Force. The person said Canada is considering various options for airdrops. But as of Wednesday night, the option of using Canadian military aircraft had been ruled out, officials said.
A United Nations report said in December that Gaza’s entire population was facing a food crisis, with one in four people facing hunger.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen told CBC Radio. the house It was announced last week that Canada is considering air assistance.
“We must do everything we can to avoid mass starvation in northern Gaza and the surrounding areas,” he told host Katherine Cullen.
the house9:43Canada in talks to send food and medicine to Gaza
Aid groups in Gaza have warned of “absolutely horrifying” conditions, with people running out of food and medicine. International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen discussed earlier this week what Canada could do to help on the Egyptian border. He joins Katherine Cullen to discuss the options on the table.
Hussen recently visited Egypt’s borders with Jordan and Gaza. He described the conditions he saw near Gaza as “truly dire.”
“People are in a very desperate situation and are doing desperate things to survive,” he said.
In January, the federal government suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Gaza Strip’s main aid agency. This is to counter Israeli claims that members of the agency were involved in the October Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. 7 attacks.
Ottawa announced at the time that it would send an additional $40 million in aid to other humanitarian organizations in the region.
CBC News reported earlier this month that Canada had not seen evidence from Israel to support its claims regarding UNRWA at the time it made its decision. The United Nations says it is investigating the allegations.
Mr Hussen said on Wednesday that the government would wait until the UN investigation is complete before deciding to resume aid to UNRWA. Asked if he was confident the investigation would be completed by April, when Canada’s next payment to UNRWA is due, Hussen said he did not want to “prejudge” the outcome.
He said: “I have confidence in the United Nations agencies investigating this matter and will see what results they come back with, but I need a transparent and comprehensive investigation before taking any action.” “I have always advocated that we should do this,” he said.
