Canada airdrops aid to Gaza, accuses Israel of breaking international law
'The (Canadian Armed Forces) employed a CC-130J Hercules aircraft to conduct an airdrop of critical humanitarian aid in support of Global Affairs Canada into the Gaza Strip. The air drop consisted of 21,600 pounds of aid,' the Canadian government said in a statement.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that it was Canadian Armed Forces' first humanitarian airdrop over Gaza using their own aircraft.
The Israeli military said 120 food aid packages for Gaza's residents were airdropped by six countries, including Canada. The other five were Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany and Belgium.
Canada said last week it plans to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, ratcheting up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza.
Canada also said on Monday that Israeli restrictions have posed challenges for humanitarian agencies.
'This obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately,' Canada's government said.
The Israeli embassy in Ottawa had no immediate comment. Israel denies accusations of violating international law and blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza.
Israel cut off food supplies to Gaza in March and then lifted that blockade in May - but with restrictions that it said were needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.
President Donald Trump also claimed Hamas militants were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it. However, Reuters
reported late last month that an internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies.
Israel says it is taking steps for more aid to reach Gaza's population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, allowing airdrops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 60,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. - Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
26 minutes ago
- The Star
Exclusive-FBI looks to add drug cartel suspects to terror watch list, government files show
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI has asked local police to submit the names of people tied to drug cartels and gangs to the U.S. government's terrorist watch list created after 9/11, which could land more Americans on the list, according to law enforcement documents seen by Reuters. The bureau told law enforcement agencies in a May 9 email to share the names of people they believe are linked to eight criminal groups President Donald Trump has labeled foreign terrorist organizations. It also asked agencies to share information about family members and associates of the groups' members. The existence of the email, which was obtained by the national security-focused transparency nonprofit Property of the People through a public records request and shared with Reuters, has not been previously reported. The email was sent to law enforcement agencies and groups including the National Sheriff's Association, which confirmed receiving it from the FBI. The FBI declined to answer detailed questions about the email, instead referring to an earlier statement that said "watchlisting is an effective tripwire keeping those who would engage in violent criminal acts, illicit drug trade, and human smuggling/trafficking out of the country." The watch list contained some 1.1 million names, including about 6,000 U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents, as of August 2024, according to a January report from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which is the most recent federal data available. The change means that local police officers are likely to see more terrorism alerts when they conduct traffic stops or run background checks using the National Crime Information Center database, the FBI said in the email. The Trump administration in February declared gangs including MS-13, Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa drug cartel foreign terrorist organizations, saying they pose a risk to national security and economic interests. The document, sent by a former FBI assistant director, said that "agencies that possess information about members of these organizations, including their family members and associates, are required to share" it with the National Counterterrorism FBI-led Threat Screening Center would then lead an effort to determine which names should be added. The bureau also told local police that it had recently added 300,000 immigration records to the National Crime Information Center database, including people who are facing administrative warrants for removal from the United States. A state law enforcement office that helps facilitate intelligence sharing between federal, state and local officials issued a bulletin in late July providing instructions about how to submit names for potential inclusion on the watch list, according to a copy seen by Reuters. GESTURES, TATTOOS Civil liberties advocates say the U.S. government sometimes relies on questionable evidence to decide who to include. "The U.S. watch-listing system is already a notoriously error-prone, bloated, due process nightmare and this instruction raises major red flags," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project. The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the government will use every legal avenue available "to prevent terrorists from killing Americans." Designating cartel and gang members as terrorists has the potential to drastically expand the number of people on the watch list. "In the cartel context, when you are talking about people inside the U.S., the watch list's reach becomes even broader because of the way drug trafficking networks play out," said Spencer Reynolds, a former Department of Homeland Security attorney who is now with the Brennan Center for Justice. He said it remains unclear whether low-level gang affiliates who sell or transport drugs would be labeled terrorists, even if they have no idea their work is connected to one of the designated cartels. Civil rights groups have voiced concerns about the secretive nature of the list, which can subject people to surveillance on airplanes, travel restrictions and secondary screenings at airports and other ports of entry into the United States. They have also complained that the government has sometimes flagged people as members of gangs based on evidence such as their tattoos and clothing. A federal judge ruled in 2019 that the list infringed on the constitutional rights to due process of certain U.S. citizens. "If your name pops up in a law enforcement hit, that has all kinds of cascading consequences," said Sirine Shebaya, executive director for the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. Authorities must spell out reasonable suspicion that a person is associated with one of the designated terrorist groups before being added to the watch list, according to public government standards. Their friends and associates would not be added automatically unless the government also suspects them of involvement, though there are exceptions to that standard, a former official familiar with the process said. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Board released a report in January with recommendations on how to improve the list's accuracy and reliability. Several days later, the Trump administration fired three of its four board members. "As Trump dismantles the rule of law and targets even mild dissent as security threats, ballooning terrorist watch lists are another glaring indicator of our descent toward authoritarian rule," Property of the People's Executive Director Ryan Shapiro said. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Brad Heath and Jana Winter; Editing by Scott Malone and Mark Porter)
The Star
26 minutes ago
- The Star
Polish PM Tusk says pause in Ukraine war could be close
FILE PHOTO: Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during a press conference after a briefing with the management of military institutes at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Warsaw, Poland, July 30, 2025. Robert Kowalewski/Agencja via REUTERS/File Photo WARSAW (Reuters) -A pause in the conflict in Ukraine could be close, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday after speaking to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions. "There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict - I don't want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict - is closer than it is further away," he told a news conference "There are hopes for this." Tusk said Zelenskiy was "very cautious but optimistic" and that Ukraine was keen that Poland and other European countries play a role in planning for a ceasefire and an eventual peace settlement. NATO member Poland has been a staunch supporter of its eastern neighbour Ukraine since Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into the country in February 2022, citing threats to Russian security and plunging Moscow's relations with the West into deep crisis. Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is engaged in a imperial-style land grab. In a post on X, Zelenskiy said he had spoken with Tusk about "the available diplomatic options and agreed to coordinate and work together for our common European interests". He had also informed the Polish prime minister about his conversations with Trump and other European leaders earlier this week. "Ukraine, Poland, and other European nations alike need strong foundations for their security and independence," Zelenskiy said. "A reliable peace is essential for all, and I am grateful for the readiness (of allies) to help along this path." (Reporting by Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Yuliia DysaEditing by Gareth Jones)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Malaysia reiterates firm stance against oppression in Gaza
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated Malaysia's uncompromising stance against oppression and colonialism in Gaza, urging world leaders to uphold humanity and put a stop to atrocities. He said Malaysia's position is very clear — it is against colonisation, oppression, atrocities and genocide, regardless of the country responsible. 'We are appealing to humanity. I mean, this is the proper attitude to preserve it, and I think Malaysia remains very consistent in condemning (the genocide in Gaza). We have appealed publicly. 'I've appealed to all presidents and prime ministers, including United States (US) President Donald Trump, to at least try to stop the killings because he has the influence and people would respect him and record his contribution,' he told reporters after performing Friday prayers here today. Anwar said the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people are the worst, as they involve the killing of children and women, as well as the destruction of homes and property. Describing it as a disgraceful failure of humanity, the Prime Minister said the global community is losing the fundamental values needed to uphold humanity. Anwar said negotiations could not take place with a party that had invaded a country and committed violence against its people, adding that Malaysia remains firm in combating Islamophobia through dakwah and the promotion of Islamic values. Malaysia has previously expressed its support for The Hague Group's efforts to find a long-term resolution to the conflict in Gaza, but has taken a cautious stance on the preconditions and content of the New York Declaration currently being debated at the international level. - Bernama
