Canada ‘deeply alarmed’ by Gaza violence as aid group pauses food delivery

Global Affairs Canada again called on Israel to allow the United Nations to resume humanitarian work in Gaza after days of shooting incidents at aid distribution sites.

Ottawa has issued a stronger condemnation of Israel’s restrictions on food aid in Gaza as the country’s ambassador continues to reject claims that Israel is violating humanitarian law.

The fresh criticism came Tuesday night in a post on X by Global Affairs Canada’s development branch. In it, the department again called on Israel to allow the United Nations to resume humanitarian work in Gaza after days of shooting incidents at aid distribution sites following a nearly three-month blockade.

“Canada is deeply alarmed by reports of mass deaths and injuries of Palestinians, as well as ongoing scenes of chaos and appalling conditions as people in Gaza attempt to access limited aid,” the post says.

The tone of the statement is much sharper than Ottawa’s messaging on Israel in recent months. It came from the department’s aid branch instead of its social media account on diplomatic affairs, which reposted the message.

The statement came before the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the U.S. and Israel, said Wednesday it paused food delivery at its three distribution sites due to the recent shooting incidents.

The group said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on better guiding foot traffic near the distribution hubs and enhancing military training procedures to promote safety.

At least 80 people have been killed in the vicinity of the sites or heading to them since they opened last week, according to hospital officials, including dozens in similar shootings at roughly the same location on Sunday and Monday, when the military also said it had fired warning shots.

GHF says there has been no violence in the aid sites themselves but has acknowledged the potential dangers people face when traveling to them on foot.