Canada announced an additional $40 million in aid to Gaza on Jan. 30, after suspending its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in response to allegations that some UNRWA staff members participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The new funding will go to other organizations working in Gaza.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said that this decision reflects Canada’s ongoing commitment to the welfare of innocent civilians caught in the conflict.
“We not only worked with UNRWA, we also work with a number of organizations on the ground, and this $40 million will ensure that humanitarian aid will continue to go to the most innocent civilians on the ground,” he said Jan. 30.
The newly allocated funds will primarily support the World Food Program, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Population Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Additionally, $5 million is reserved for Canadian non-governmental organizations working in the region.
This shift in funding comes in the wake of allegations involving UNRWA staff members in the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. An Israeli document, obtained by The Associated Press, accuses several UNRWA employees of participating in violent acts, including storming into Israel, involvement in a kidnapping, and assisting in the theft of a soldier’s body. The U.N. has condemned these alleged acts, and UNRWA responded by dismissing nine staff members suspected of involvement.
Global Affairs Canada has stated that while it is supporting the investigation into the allegations against UNRWA staff, its commitment to aiding vulnerable civilians remains steadfast. It also reiterated the call for a “humanitarian ceasefire,” a position that Canada agreed to when voting for a U.N. resolution on the issue in December. The United States opposed the resolution, with critics saying that the motion unfairly targeted Israel without calling out Hamas to surrender.
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas after the terrorist group attacked civilians in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
