Canada restarts funding to Gaza with $40 million

TRENTON, Canada

Canada restarted aid for Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday with CAN$40 million ($30 million) for various agencies.

“Canada wholeheartedly recognizes that Palestinian civilians’ need for humanitarian assistance is growing by the hour,” the Government of Canada said in a statement. “The scale of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to require our urgent attention and immediate response. We must ensure that Palestinian civilians who need life-saving assistance receive it quickly.”

The bulk of the money will flow to UN agencies with the World Food Program receiving the largest amount, CAN$16 million. Also receiving money are UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund, World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The remaining CAN$5 million will go to Canadian non-governmental organization partners, said the government.

Canada “temporarily paused” funding to the largest relief agency in Gaza, the UN Palestinian Relief Agency, or UNRWA, after some of its employees were suspected of playing a role in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The funding freeze to UNWRA is still in place but funding to Gaza restarted with other agencies.

Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said more assistance is needed in Gaza.

“Since the very beginning of the crisis, our position has always been, and continues to be, centered on the firm belief that more assistance is needed, not less,” Hussen said in a statement. ​​​​​​​

“In line with this commitment, we are stepping up with additional emergency funding so that our trusted and experienced humanitarian partners can continue to ensure this funding reaches the most vulnerable in their time of need,” he added.