Canada said on Monday it delivered humanitarian assistance through airdrops to Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli military assault for almost 22 months, with Ottawa again accusing Israel of violating international law.
“The (Canadian Armed Forces) employed a CC-130J Hercules aircraft to conduct an airdrop of critical humanitarian aid in support of Global Affairs Canada into the Gaza Strip. The air drop consisted of 21,600 pounds of aid,” the Canadian government said in a statement.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that it was Canadian Armed Forces’ first humanitarian airdrop over Gaza using their own aircraft.
The Israeli military said 120 food aid packages for Gaza’s residents were airdropped by six countries, including Canada. The other five were Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany and Belgium.
Read more: Israel says it will allow controlled entry of goods into Gaza via merchants
Canada said last week it plans to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, ratcheting up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza.
Canada also said on Monday that Israeli restrictions have posed challenges for humanitarian agencies.
“This obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately,” Canada’s government said.