Canada Announces $10 Million in Humanitarian Aid for Lebanon

Smoke rises above Beirut's southern suburbs during an Israeli strike on Sept. 27, 2024. -/AFP via Getty Images

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says it is providing $10 million in funding for humanitarian aid for civilians in Lebanon.

The government made the announcement on Sept. 28, saying it was “deeply concerned” over the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“With the funding announced today, Canada’s partners will be able to scale up their efforts to help people in urgent need,” Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said in a news release.

GAC said the conflict has left more than 90,000 people displaced since early September.

The funding announcement brings the total amount of humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to $37 million for 2024, GAC said.

It said the funding will provide food, water, emergency healthcare (including sexual and reproductive healthcare), protection services, and other assistance to the region.

The move comes after Ottawa called for a 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon–Israel border to find a diplomatic settlement, the release said.

Israel launched more attacks on Lebanon on Sept. 27, in an attempt to kill Hezbollah terrorists.

On Sept. 28, Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had been killed in one of the Israeli airstrikes.

Israel had announced that Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 in airstrikes on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut.

The strikes are part of a wider military offensive by Israel, which has been targeting Hezbollah’s operations. It came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. During the speech, he said his country would continue to fight Hezbollah until they were no longer a threat.

GAC said that it continues to monitor the situation in Lebanon.

In May, Canada gave $65 million in international assistance funding to Lebanon, including $27 million for humanitarian assistance and $38 million in development assistance.

In 2023, Canada provided $31.68 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon.

GAC has been booking seats on commercial flights to get Canadians who are trying to leave Lebanon out of the country.

A federal government official said the seats could be to any destination out of Lebanon. However, it was stressed that the move was not an evacuation. The government has been working on a mass evacuation plan for Canadians in case it is needed, the official said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly previously said that about 45,000 Canadians were in Lebanon, and only half of that number had registered with the embassy in Beirut.

The Canadian Press, Katabella Roberts, and Simon Veazey contributed to this article.