Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Israel late Thursday night of obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for international agencies to take over all distribution.
“Canada condemns the Israeli government’s failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza,” Carney said.
“Israel’s control of aid distribution must be replaced by comprehensive provision of humanitarian assistance led by international organizations. Many of these are holding significant Canadian-funded aid which has been blocked from delivery to starving civilians. This denial of humanitarian aid is a violation of international law,” he added.
Humanitarian aid in Gaza is currently delivered through traditional international efforts led primarily by the United Nations and the newly established, U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates under Israeli security oversight. However, distribution remains heavily restricted by Israeli security controls, with frequent delays, bottlenecks at border crossings and numerous instances of Palestinians being killed at aid points.
Carney’s remarks came just hours after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. General Assembly in September, as Europe toughens its rhetorical stance against Israel.
Macron’s move triggered a sharp backlash from Israel and the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned it as a “reward for terror,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a “reckless decision” and “a slap in the face” to the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
Israel has been waging war in the Gaza Strip for almost two years, following a violent attack by Hamas militants on Israeli territory in October 2023 that killed more than 1,000 people. Retaliation by the Israel Defense Forces has killed tens of thousands of people in the starving coastal enclave.
Carney also reiterated Canada’s call for an immediate ceasefire and urged Hamas to release all the hostages it took in the initial attack on Israel.
He pressed Israel to “respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza,” and reaffirmed Canada’s support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
“Canada will work intensively in all fora to further that end, including through the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the UN High-Level Conference on a Two-State Solution in New York next week,” he said.
