Canadian NGOs Demand Carney Act Upon His Promises on Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

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.”

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.”

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.”

Iftikhar Shaikh Ahmad, Chief Program Officer at Human Concern International, 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.”

She said 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", and welcomed the idea of stronger Canadian leadership and called for urgent action.

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.