TRENTON, Canada
Announcing that it had airdropped 10 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza, Canada said Monday that the Israeli government’s obstruction of aid is a violation of international law.
“Canada is taking these exceptional measures with our international partners as access to humanitarian aid in Gaza is severely restricted and humanitarian needs have reached an unprecedented level,” said a joint news release from Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Defense Minister David McGuinty.
“Despite the scale of need, humanitarian partners face severe challenges in delivering life-saving food and medical assistance by land due to ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli government. This obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately.”
Five other countries also delivered aid, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany and Belgium, the Israeli army said in a post on X.
In the news release, Canada demanded changes to ramp up aid to Gaza, including safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian groups, opening of all crossings, rapid approval of customs clearances, and long-term visas for aid workers.
“Humanitarian aid in Gaza is severely restricted and humanitarian needs have reached an unprecedented level,” the statement said. “Despite the scale of need, humanitarian partners face severe challenges in delivering life-saving food and medical assistance by land due to ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli government.
“This obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately.”
The Canadian officials said conditions are deplorable in Gaza and so a “dramatic scale-up” of assistance is imperative.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.