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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canadian charity close to getting aid trucks into Gaza for first time since March
OTTAWA — Two months after announcing it had truckloads of food waiting to enter Gaza, a Canadian charity says it's finally about to get its first shipment of aid to desperate Palestinians since March. Human Concern International has two trucks in place filled with bags of flour that were supposed to enter Gaza on Friday. It says it changed its plans because desperate Palestinians have been looting aid trucks. "It's beyond catastrophe, what's happening in Gaza right now," said the group's head, Mahmuda Khan. HCI used to send aid trucks into Gaza regularly before Israel blocked all outside aid in March and set up its own distribution sites. Hundreds of Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli soldiers while trying to access food at those sites. Israel recently lifted some restrictions on food deliveries and Jordanian soldiers started airdropping aid purchased by Ottawa into the enclave this week. Khan's group was given permission to enter the Gaza strip Thursday with two trucks, each carrying 1,300 25-kilogram bags of flour. She said they chose not to cross into Gaza Thursday because aid trucks have been swarmed by large groups of Palestinians, making it unsafe for locals and staff. She said three truckloads of flour and seven trucks containing 2,080 boxes of food are ready to enter the territory once the charity finds a safer route. Khan said Israel needs to vastly increase the amount of aid it's letting into Gaza, adding authorities at the border are only allowing her group to deliver food that requires cooking, such as lentils and rice. "We're not allowed to put baby formula, we're not allowed to put any meat there right now. So it's calorie-counted versus nutrition calculations," she said. The group is urging Ottawa to push Israel for more access so that canned tuna and baby formula can be allowed in the territory. Her organization has accused Israel of "deliberately limiting types and amounts of food supplies to keep Gazans within a specific malnutrition threshold." The Israeli government says it is meeting its humanitarian obligations. Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in March, arguing that Hamas had been selling vital supplies and food to pay its fighters. UN agencies say this was not happening to any large extent. After two and a half months, Israel allowed Americans to launch the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which set up aid distribution sites. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire and American contractors while trying to access those sites. A week ago, Israel slightly loosened its restrictions. UNICEF has said it needs to undertake "therapeutic feeding" for children with severe acute malnutrition who can no longer eat normal food. That requires products such as Plumpy'Nut, a mix of peanuts and fats. Khan said her group is also purchasing local produce in Gaza at astronomical rates, with one kilogram of onions costing the equivalent of $21.60 and the same quantity of tomatoes costing $18.90. She said her group has two medical clinics that struggle to find medicines, equipment and fuel for generators. They frequently see children with infectious diseases caused by drinking contaminated water, she said, and the people of Gaza need more than just food. "They need a complete solution, a holistic approach of pure, clean water, nutritional food on an ongoing and consistent basis — and not just for a week or two," she said. Israel has repeatedly pushed back on claims that it is causing starvation in Gaza - the assessment shared by Ottawa, U.S. President Donald Trump and most major global organizations. "Israel has been an active partner in humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza consistent with its responsibilities under international law," Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed wrote in a media statement Wednesday. He said Israel has facilitated the movement of 600 aid trucks over the previous five days. The UN has said that is the number of aid trucks needed each day in order for Gaza's population to meet its basic humanitarian needs. Gaza was receiving roughly 70 truckloads of aid a day before last week - one of the lowest aid delivery rates since the war started. Israel and the UN have repeatedly blamed each other for delays in aid reaching Palestinians, with Israel saying hundreds of trucks have sat idle. The UN says that in order to retrieve aid at the border or move around most of the Gaza Strip, its trucks must enter zones controlled by the military, load the aid and get it safely to the people who need it. It says the whole trip can take 20 hours. Large crowds of desperate people, as well as criminal gangs, overwhelm the trucks as they enter Gaza and strip them of supplies, The Associated Press has reported. Witnesses tell the agency that Israeli troops regularly fire on the crowds, killing and injuring many. The military frequently assigns routes for trucks to use that are unsuitable; "impassable for long truck convoys, passing through crowded markets, or controlled by dangerous gangs," the UN humanitarian office said last month. The UN released a video Friday of what it said was one of its own convoys on Wednesday. It shows hundreds standing at a roadside as warning shots are fired. After the shooting stops, men and boys swarm the convoy. Israel said it doesn't limit the truckloads of aid coming into Gaza, and that it regularly looks for the best routes to provide access for the international community. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
Toronto Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Canadian charity close to getting aid trucks into Gaza for first time since March
OTTAWA - Two months after announcing it had truckloads of food waiting to enter Gaza, a Canadian charity says it's finally about to get its first shipment of aid to desperate Palestinians since March. Human Concern International has two trucks in place filled with bags of flour that were supposed to enter Gaza on Friday. It says it changed its plans because desperate Palestinians have been looting aid trucks.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian charity on brink of having first aid trucks enter Gaza since March
OTTAWA – Two months after announcing it had trucks of food waiting to enter Gaza, a Canadian charity says it is finally about to get its first shipment of aid to desperate Palestinians. Human Concern International has two trucks full of bags of flour that were supposed to enter Gaza today, but concern over desperate Palestinians looting trucks have the group reshaping its plans. The group's head Mahmuda Khan says it used to have trucks enter Gaza regularly, until Israel blocked all aid in March and then set up distribution centres that caused hundreds to be shot dead trying to access food. Israel has lifted some restrictions on food, and food purchased by Ottawa has started being air-dropped on Palestinians this week. Khan says there needs to be vastly more aid allowed in Gaza than what Israel currently accepts, and she said authorities at the border are only allowing food that requires cooking such as lentils and rice. The group is urging Ottawa to push Israel for more access so that tuna and baby formula can be allowed in the territory, where Israel is rejecting international claims that starvation is underway. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025.
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Canadian charity pauses Gaza aid after U.S.-backed group takes over distribution
Social Sharing A Canadian charity says it has suspended the distribution of some 38,000 boxes of food to the Gaza Strip, fearing the aid would never reach the Palestinians who need it due to controls imposed by a controversial, new U.S.-backed entity. "Human Concern International has made a difficult but principled decision" to pause delivery of 17 "fully loaded" aid trucks, said the group's chief programs officer Iftikhar Shaikh Ahmad at a news conference on Parliament Hill Thursday morning. The aid group and others are pushing Ottawa to enact sanctions against Israel. "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation were not abiding by humanitarian principles," Ahmad told CBC News, referring to the company now charged with distributing aid in Gaza. WATCH | Aid groups call for sanctions on Israel: Groups ask PM Carney to pressure Israel, say Canadian aid blocked from Gaza 4 hours ago Duration 7:05 Speaking from the House of Commons West Block Thursday, Human Concern International's Chief Programs Officer Iftikhar Shaikh Ahmad; Save the Children's Humanitarian Director (via zoom from Gaza) Rachael Cummings; Humanitarian Advisor Roula Kikhia and Oxfam Canada's Erin Kiley call upon the federal government to act, saying Canadian aid trucks are among those being blocked by the Israeli military from entering Gaza. The GHF is establishing four initial hubs in southern Gaza to distribute food with the help of subcontractors. "Only the population in the south would have access," Ahmad said. "We were not given any guarantee that the people that would be going to the distribution centre are going to be safe." Established in February, the GHF took control of aid distribution in Israel from independent groups over the course of the last month, with approval from the Israeli government, marking the partial end of a months-long blockade. Though the GHF has pledged over the next 30 days to build distribution centres across Gaza, including the north where most of the Palestinians displaced by war are located, it has yet to reveal locations. Palestinians would have to cross through Israeli military lines to reach hubs around Rafah, the southern Gaza city bordering Egypt, to access aid. On Monday, the head of the GHF resigned, stating the group did not adhere to humanitarian principles. WATCH | Shots fired during Gaza aid distribution: Shots fired in southern Gaza after crowds charge food distribution site 2 days ago Duration 2:01 Crowds rushed a food distribution site in southern Gaza before scattering when shots were fired in what the UN called a 'heartbreaking' scene. Humanitarian groups say the new Israel-backed effort to get aid into Gaza falls far short of what's needed. The next day, The Associated Press reported that several Palestinians were injured as the Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people rushing one of the hubs. "Our donors did not give to support forced displacement or selective aid," Ahmad said. "They gave to help all Palestinians, wherever they are." Worker describes groups of starving children On Thursday, the HCI was joined by Oxfam Canada, as well as Save the Children Canada, in asking the federal government to place sanctions against Israel. Ottawa has yet to act after threatening to do so in a joint statement with France and the United Kingdom on May 19. Rachael Cummings, one of Save the Children's representatives, joined the news conference remotely from Deir al-Balah, Gaza. "What we see in Gaza is children walking, equipped in the streets with empty bowls looking for food. Children with empty bottles looking for clean water," she said. Cummings said when her group has asked kids what their biggest wishes are for their future, some simply answered they want food or water. "One child shared that he wished to be dead, with his mother in paradise, where he knows he will be loved and he knows that there is food and water." The aid groups are not the first to take to Parliament Hill to call for sanctions. On Wednesday, a group of physicians who have worked in Gaza . "As a surgeon, I cannot treat a genocide. As doctors, we cannot stop a famine. So we demand that the Canadian government take meaningful action," said Deirdre Nunan, an orthopedic surgeon. CBC News has asked Global Affairs Canada questions about its red line for sanctions, but has yet to receive a response. On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand declined to walk by journalists after a Liberal caucus meeting, going to an elevator instead of stopping to answer questions. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the government for even issuing a statement. "I really think it's unfair that Mr. Carney is targeting the democratic Jewish state of Israel when in fact Hamas continues to hold hostages," he said on Wednesday. "It's time for the Liberals to stop trying to score political points by attacking Israel and singling out Israel." Both the Bloc Québécois and NDP opposition parties are pushing for sanctions, with the latter hoping to present a new private members' bill that would recognize a Palestinian state.
Toronto Sun
29-05-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
Humanitarian group pauses Canadian aid trucks bound for Gaza, citing Israeli restrictions
Published May 29, 2025 • 1 minute read A truck loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip makes its way to the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, in Israel-Gaza border, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo / AP Photo OTTAWA — A humanitarian group says it's holding back 17 trucks filled with Canadian aid meant for desperate Palestinians in Gaza, citing what it calls a dangerous aid distribution system implemented by Israel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Human Concern International says it has food and medical supplies sitting in Jerusalem that it doesn't feel comfortable taking into the Gaza Strip after Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near crowds of desperate people rushing for food on Tuesday. Israel implemented the distribution system and claims Hamas is stealing large amounts of aid, a claim global institutions say hasn't been proven independently. Aid groups such as Save the Children say putting a warring party in charge of aid distribution politicizes the process, particularly when Israel is only making aid available far from the areas it's trying to clear of Palestinians. The United Nations, which has withdrawn from working with the new system, says Israel's restrictions on food aid in the territory are creating desperation and risking famine. Aid groups say Ottawa has fallen silent on the situation in Gaza in the days since Prime Minister Mark Carney and the leaders of France and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement threatening to impose 'targeted sanctions' over Israel's renewed military offensive in Gaza. Read More Toronto & GTA Ontario Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
