Canadian NGOs demand Carney 'act upon his promises' on Gaza
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Canadian NGOs demand PM Mark Carney reject Israeli-controlled aid in Gaza, warning that the mechanism worsens famine and violates humanitarian law.
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Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by the Israeli occupation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 (AP)
A coalition of Canadian humanitarian organizations has strongly condemned the Israeli- and US-backed aid mechanism in the Gaza Strip, calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to fulfill his campaign promise to support humanitarian principles.
At a press conference in Ottawa, several NGOs accused the Israeli occupation of using aid as a weapon of war and warned of catastrophic famine unfolding under a tightening blockade.
“Oxfam strongly condemns attempts to militarize or privatize humanitarian aid in Gaza,” said Erin Kiley, Director of International Programs at Oxfam Canada.
“These actions undermine international humanitarian law and set a precedent for occupying powers to dictate aid terms based on political agendas and military goals.”
Kiley explained that over $3 million worth of Oxfam aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since March due to the siege, and she warned that the new aid mechanism gives “Israel power over who receives aid, where, and from whom. They turn relief into a tool of coercion.”
“Aid must not be used as a weapon of war, as it's being done now,” Kiley stated. She further argued that what is being allowed in under the new model “is not humanitarian aid, it is displacement through deprivation,” adding that the policy “blurs the line between humanitarian assistance and military objective, putting civilians and aid workers at grave risk.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the distribution mechanism backed by Washington and Tel Aviv, has drawn sharp criticism from both local and international groups. Critics say the program shifts control of humanitarian delivery into the hands of a military power responsible for creating the crisis in the first place.
Save the Children: Gaza famine unfolding in real time
Roula Kikhia, a humanitarian advisor with Save the Children, echoed the warnings, stressing that famine in Gaza is no longer a looming threat but “a catastrophe unfolding in real-time in front of our eyes.”
“Children are being starved, not because food doesn't exist, but because they are being denied access to it,” she said. “This is not a food shortage. It’s a crisis created by political choices.”
Speaking virtually from Gaza, Rachael Cummings, Humanitarian Director of Save the Children, described the conditions on the ground as “absolutely desperate.”
Save the Children humanitarian director Rachael Cummings says children in Gaza are 'eating grass' to survive.
— Labour Muslim Network (@LabourMuslims) May 13, 2025
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She shared harrowing testimonies of children wishing they were dead alongside their loved ones, adding, “This is a very, very concerning trend where children are so desperate and their needs so unmet that they wish to no longer be with us.”
Cummings emphasized that the humanitarian response is being actively obstructed, despite the extensive expertise and long-standing presence of NGOs on the ground.
Responding to claims that aid is reaching Hamas, she clarified, “The trucks that have been looting or the warehouses that have been raided, these are desperate people who are starving intentionally.”
Call for Carney to uphold humanitarian promises
Iftikhar Shaikh Ahmad, Chief Program Officer at Human Concern International, said the group was forced to halt 17 Canadian-funded aid trucks, not because of reduced need but because of new restrictions under the GHF. “We are being forced to send our aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” she explained. “It is a form of control.”
She called on the Canadian government to reject the GHF mechanism entirely and align with Canadian NGOs who have worked in Gaza for decades. “Our demand is that Canada must act. Enough with words, we need to see action.”
When asked by Anadolu Agency whether Ottawa’s silence amounts to complicity in the collective punishment of Palestinians, Ahmad responded diplomatically, “We don’t believe that the Canadian government is complicit in what’s happening in Gaza.”
She added that Prime Minister Carney had made promises during his campaign to support Canadian charities based on humanitarian principles, demanding that he "act upon his promises.”
Aid workers warn Canada’s silence enables crisis
Kikhia welcomed the idea of stronger Canadian leadership and called for urgent action.
“We are asking Canada to put more pressure on all conflict parties to adhere to international law, to protect children and their families, and to clearly state that there will be no financial or any kind of support to this current model, the military-controlled model by the Israeli government.”
She added, “The starvation of children must stop. This is a test of our shared humanity, and failure is not an option.”
As the Israeli blockade humanitarian crisis escalates and the Gaza famine intensifies, Canadian NGOs are demanding that Ottawa shift from symbolic gestures to tangible resistance against mechanisms that deepen suffering.
With aid politicized and weaponized, the NGOs say the time has come for Mark Carney to match his words with decisive action.
