Canada demands investigation into water well destroyed by Israeli troops in Gaza

Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombardment queue for water at a makeshift tent camp in the southern town of Khan Younis on July 1, 2024. (Jehad Alshrafi / AP)

OTTAWA — The Canadian government is still calling for an investigation into Israel's destruction nearly a month ago of a large water facility in an area of the Gaza Strip where Ottawa is known for supporting Palestinians.

The office of the International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says the incident adds to a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation.

"Canada has contacted the Israeli government for more information on this incident and we call for an investigation," said spokeswoman Olivia Batten.

The Israeli military says it's looking into what happened last month when its soldiers were filmed planting explosives and destroying a water-processing facility in the city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering.

The facility is in the Tel al-Sultan district, in a neighbourhood the Palestinian delegation in Ottawa says is popularly known as Canada because of the country's support for various projects in that area over decades.

The facility is often called the Canada Well, though in recent years it has operated on funding from the United Nations and Japan.

Global Affairs Canada says it has not been able to confirm claims that the well was created with federal funding. "The well is situated in Tel al-Sultan, where Canada has played an important role in improving the quality of life for the community," Batten wrote.

The Palestinian delegation says the facility provided clean water for roughly 100,000 people at a time when polio is spreading in Gaza.

The International Development Research Centre, a Crown corporation with decades of work abroad, did not immediately find proof of having funded such a project.

Batten reiterated Canada's call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that would allow more aid to reach Palestinians.

"This incident further strains the already dire water infrastructure and exacerbates the hardships civilians face in accessing clean water," she wrote. "The looming risk of widespread famine and disease continues to grow and is exacerbated by the destruction of medical, humanitarian, and civilian infrastructure, such as this well."

Last month, a municipal official in Khan Younis told Reuters that Israeli troops had destroyed 30 water wells in that city and Rafah during the last two weeks of July.

The Israeli military did not explain how destroying a water facility helps its goal of routing Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

"IDF (Israeli) forces have been operating for several weeks in the Tel al-Sultan area, to destroy terrorist infrastructures and eliminate terrorists, while mitigating damage to civilian infrastructures," a spokesperson wrote in response to questions.

"The circumstances of the case in question are under review."

The Israeli embassy in Ottawa insists that the country "has continuously been upholding" its duties under international law.

"Any instance that deviates from these standards is thoroughly investigated and addressed by law enforcement and judicial authorities," the embassy wrote.

The United Nations says nowhere in the Gaza Strip is safe since Israel started bombarding the Palestinian territory last fall after the Oct. 7 attack in Israel by Hamas, which Canada classifies as a terrorist organization.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.