Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in tents in Gaza City on Tuesday.Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters
Lloyd Axworthy was Canada’s foreign minister from 1996 to 2000. He is chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council. Allan Rock has served as minister of justice and attorney-general of Canada and Canadian ambassador to the United Nations.
Canada has now joined 25 Western nations in issuing a joint statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, condemning the “drip feeding of aid” and the “inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.” The statement declared that “the Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,” and urged Israel to “comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.” The statement is remarkable in its directness, evidence that much of the international community is no longer willing to be mere bystanders as the suffering in Gaza continues.
Canada, 24 other nations urge Israel to end war in Gaza, condemn ‘drip feeding of aid’
Civilian deaths in armed conflict have, tragically, become commonplace. Russian drones and missiles crash into apartment blocks and maternity hospitals in Ukraine. Warlords target villagers in Sudan. Criminal gangs hold sway in Haiti, terrorizing the population and murdering with impunity.
Sadly, we have become inured to these atrocities. And the law of armed conflict, which prohibits attacks on civilians, seems increasingly like a quaint vestige of another age.
But even in that brutal context, the level of lawless cruelty displayed by the Israeli government in Gaza stands apart, leading much of the international community to demand that it be stopped.
Conditions in Gaza have plunged into catastrophic levels of food insecurity. The risk of widespread famine is extremely high. The entire population of 2.1 million is experiencing severe food shortages, with nearly half a million people facing starvation, dehydration, malnutrition, and disease. Many are at risk of death.
Over 1,000 have been killed seeking food in Gaza since May as hunger crisis worsens, UN body says
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), “nearly one in every three people in Gaza is not eating for days at a time; thousands of people are on the verge of catastrophic hunger.” Child malnutrition has tripled since the blockade intensified in March, 2025. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that over 50 children have already died from malnutrition since the siege began on March 2. Markets are empty, prices have skyrocketed, and people are now scavenging through garbage to feed themselves and their children.
For many humanitarian organizations, Gaza has been completely sealed off: no relief has entered for over 140 days. According to UNRWA, Israel is currently blocking 6,000 UNRWA trucks at the border – while children die of hunger.
The crime of deliberate starvation is being compounded by another appalling practice. On a daily basis, many people are killed or wounded near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution centres as they are forced to make the harrowing choice between getting something to eat and risking being shot. What is being presented as aid distribution is, in effect, a trap: a cage baited with food, designed to lure the starving into a tightly controlled zone of surveillance, humiliation and possible death. According to the United Nations, 875 people have been killed in recent weeks while trying to obtain food. Credible and responsible reporting has established that they include dozens of children trying to access food or water. The excuses shamelessly offered by the Israel Defence Forces are transparently false.
Crush at U.S.-backed Gaza aid site kills at least 20
Monday’s joint statement is evidence that key members of the international community condemn the Israeli government’s inhumane and unlawful conduct in Gaza, and we should be proud that Canada is among them. The United States, however, was conspicuous by its absence, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely be able to count on President Donald Trump’s continued support. That will embolden Mr. Netanyahu and the extremist right-wing elements in his political coalition, who may insist that the blockade and the killing continue.
It is therefore essential that Canada and its partners build on the momentum created by the joint statement and increase the international pressure on the Israeli government. To help restore food aid quickly, the 26 signatories should work with the United Nations and leading humanitarian groups to establish safe and secure delivery and distribution. Ottawa can instruct our ambassador to the UN in New York to convene a group of likeminded countries to get that work started. This is work of critical importance, again illustrating the need to maintain and strengthen Canada’s diplomatic capacity.
We applaud our government’s participation in the effort to stop the cruelty in Gaza. The joint statement is a good first step. But that effort must be sustained. This moment calls for moral clarity, political courage, and urgent, decisive action. Over two million lives – nearly half of them children – hang in the balance.