Gaza: Canada, it is high time to act now

Oxfam Canada and Oxfam-Québec are dismayed by Canada’s inaction in the face of the deliberate starvation of the Gaza Strip.   

“Tweets don’t feed anyone, and statements won’t open access points to Gaza,” says Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s head of policy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  

Children and adults in Gaza are dying of hunger and dehydration, when not forced to wait for hours under the blazing sun to obtain meager food rations, risking death from Israeli military fire. Reaffirming Canada’s position, even in stronger terms, as Prime Minister Mark Carney did this week, does nothing to change the reality of a population dying in Gaza because food, water, and medical care are being deliberately denied by the Israeli authorities.  

The time for concrete action to restrict Canada’s support for Israel is long overdue—and there is no need to wait for other countries to join in. Prime Minister Mark Carney has an opportunity to demonstrate through action his commitment to human rights and international humanitarian law. There are several options available, starting with an immediate and public halting of all transfers of arms, components, or ammunition to Israel, whether directly or via the United States.  

Failure to act gives a green light to the campaign of extermination against the Palestinian population of Gaza. It also betrays Canada’s commitment to humanitarian action, in Gaza and around the world. 

We eagerly await the Carney government’s announcement of concrete measures next week at the United Nations conference on the two-state solution. 

Contact Information

Laveza Khan |  | 613-240-4157