For these organizations, airdrops and Israel’s control of aid are a false solution to widespread famine and only prolong the population’s suffering.
They are calling for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of all obstacles to the delivery and distribution of aid by professional, independent and impartial humanitarian organizations that respect established humanitarian principles. They are also demanding that the Canadian government immediately end all arms transfers to Israel.
“After bullets and bombs came hunger. Due to the blockade on aid, in fifteen months of conflict, acute malnutrition rates in our clinics have reached levels comparable to those in prolonged humanitarian crises.” Chloé Cébron, Director of Policy Analysis and Advocacy, Doctors of the World Canada
“Let’s be clear: this famine is entirely man-made. Tons of food are waiting at Gaza’s borders. Humanitarian organizations like Oxfam are ready. All we need is to be allowed in, to be permitted to deliver aid directly to communities where they are. Aid should never force civilians to risk their lives to access it. It is unacceptable that aid continues to be militarized, politicized, and privatized. This model sets an extremely dangerous precedent that erodes the very foundations of global humanitarian action. Ending the organized famine in Gaza is a test—not only for our international legal order but for our collective moral order.”
— Béatrice Vaugrante, Executive Director, Oxfam-Québec
“Humanitarian airdrops are a dangerous and ineffective method of delivering aid. When desperate Gazans rush to access food and supplies, these unpredictable airdrops create chaos, leading to dangerous stampedes and clashes between civilians. Many aid packages land in heavily contaminated areas, filled with unexploded debris, posing a serious risk to those trying to retrieve them. In these conditions, aid is seized by those who have the strength, at the expense of the most vulnerable: persons with disabilities, the elderly, women, and children. Conversely, a significantly larger amount of aid can be delivered by land, and under the supervision of recognized humanitarian organizations, it can be distributed throughout the Gaza Strip, ensuring access and dignity for all. The famine in Gaza is a political problem, not a logistical one, and must be treated as such.”
— Anne Delorme, Executive Director, Humanity & Inclusion Canada
“After bullets and bombs came hunger. Due to the blockade on aid, in fifteen months of conflict, acute malnutrition rates in our clinics have reached levels comparable to those in prolonged humanitarian crises. Speaking of humanitarian aid in these circumstances is a sham. It is dangerous and instrumentalized in the service of the occupying power’s political and military interests. Continuing to transfer arms to Israel would be a serious violation of Canada’s legal obligations and a moral failure in our country’s history.”
— Chloé Cébron, Director of Policy Analysis and Advocacy, Doctors of the World Canada
“What we are witnessing in Gaza is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. An immediate ceasefire is imperative. Canada must end its double talk: it cannot claim to support Palestinian civilians while allowing arms transfers to Israel. We demand that our government immediately suspend all arms shipments and use all available diplomatic levers to push for a lasting truce. Every day without concrete action worsens this tragedy and multiplies the unacceptable suffering of the civilian population.”
— Michèle Asselin, Executive Director, Quebec Association of International Cooperation Organizations (AQOCI)
Press contacts
Mélissa Cabana, Doctors of the World Canada
melissa.cabana@medecinsdumonde.ca
514 799-8985