Canada continues demand for probe into Israel-demolished water well in Gaza Strip

HAMILTON, Canada

The office of Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said Thursday that it continues its demand on Israel to investigate the destruction of a critical water facility in the southern Gaza Strip widely known as the Canada Well.

"Canada has contacted the Israeli government for more information on this incident, and we call for an investigation," said spokeswoman Olivia Batten, according to a report by the Canadian Press.

In late July, footage by some Israeli soldiers was shared on social media that showed the water facility being blown up with explosives.

While the Israeli army says it is looking into what happened at the site sheltering hundreds of Palestinians, Batten said "the well is situated in Tel al-Sultan, where Canada has played an important role in improving the quality of life for the community."

Saying that the destruction of the water well further deteriorates the "already dire water infrastructure," she said it also "exacerbates the hardships civilians face in accessing clean water."

"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," she added.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed more than 40,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,400, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.