Canada pledges $50M for Palestinian humanitarian needs ahead of Gaza aid conference

Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen speaks at a news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Ottawa -

The Liberal government is announcing $50 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and calling on Israel to not undermine the United Nations agency dedicated to Palestinians.

"The risk of famine looms large all over Gaza," International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said at a news conference Friday in Toronto.

"The death toll continues to rise while the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and community centres and roads is making life in Gaza unbearable and uninhabitable."

The announcement comes ahead of a conference Monday in Cairo on the humanitarian response in Gaza. Some of the funding will also go to the West Bank, and Hussen's office said it's still confirming how the money will be divided.

"The situation in the West Bank has also become increasingly dire with high civilian casualties, extremist settler violence, forced displacement and limited access to basic services," Hussen said.

He said the money will provide life-saving help such as medical assistance, food, water and protection services. Hussen is particularly concerned about northern Gaza, "as much of the population endures life-threatening levels of food insecurity and malnutrition."

On Friday, two children and a woman were crushed to death as a crowd of Palestinians pushed to get bread at a Gaza bakery amid food shortages.

The Israeli government has rejected claims of a famine risk in Gaza, saying the global famine monitor that works with the UN has published projections that "have proven biased, incorrect, and inconsistent with the situation on the ground."

Fewer truckloads of aid have entered Gaza in November and also October than in any other month since the Israel-Hamas war began more than a year ago, according to data recorded by the United Nations.

"The volume of aid has actually decreased, and we are very much concerned about that," Hussen said. "We've been advocating repeatedly for more access, more entry points, and different ways of getting aid in."

He said the funding will be delivered through partners such as the UN and the Red Cross, adding that he's concerned about Israel cutting ties with the main UN agency supporting Palestinians, known as UNRWA.

Early this year, Hussen briefly suspended Canada's funding for the agency after Israel claimed that hundreds of Palestinian militants work for UNRWA. Israel has not published evidence, but claims more than a dozen employees took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel.

UNRWA investigated 19 employees accused of taking part in the attack, and fired an unspecified number of them. The agency has around 30,000 employees. 

Israel passed legislation last month to stop working with UNRWA, arguing it has allowed itself to be infiltrated by Hamas, with the militants siphoning off aid and using the agency's facilities as shields. UNRWA denies the allegations, saying it is committed to neutrality and acts quickly to address any wrongdoing by its staff.

"We are deeply concerned as a government by Israel's decision to prevent the critical humanitarian work of UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem," Hussen said Friday.

He also said Canada is still asking Israel for an investigation into its forces' destruction last July of a large water facility in Gaza known as the Canada Well. 

"We've been assured by the Israeli government that they'll provide us with the results of that investigation as soon as it's completed," he said. "I'm expecting that we will receive those results sooner rather than later."

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press