Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Urges Israel to Allow WFP to Deliver Aid to Gaza Amid Blockade
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called on Israel to permit the World Food Programme (WFP) to operate in Gaza, emphasizing that food should not be used as a “political tool.” His statement came just hours after the UN agency announced it had run out of food supplies due to an ongoing Israeli blockade.
The WFP reported on Friday that it had distributed its last remaining food stocks to kitchens providing hot meals in Gaza, warning that the facilities were expected to run out of food in the coming days.
“The UN World Food Programme just announced that its food stocks in Gaza have run out because of the Israeli Government’s blockade — food cannot be used as a political tool,” Carney said on X (formerly Twitter).
The WFP further stated that no humanitarian or commercial supplies had entered Gaza for more than seven weeks due to the closure of all main border crossing points, marking the longest such blockade the Gaza Strip has ever faced.
“Palestinian civilians must not bear the consequences of Hamas’ terrorist crimes. The World Food Programme must be allowed to resume its lifesaving work,” Carney added.
Reports indicate that Israel has previously denied claims of a hunger crisis in Gaza. Israeli military officials accused Hamas militants of exploiting aid supplies, a claim Hamas has denied, stating that it must prevent supplies from reaching fighters.
On Friday, Gaza’s government media office warned that famine was becoming a real threat for the enclave’s 2.3 million residents.
Health authorities in Gaza reported that since the collapse of a January ceasefire on March 18, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, with hundreds of thousands displaced as Israel established what it calls a buffer zone.
Since an attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages being taken to Gaza, more than 51,300 Palestinians have died in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
“We will continue to work with our allies towards a permanent ceasefire and the immediate return of all hostages,” Carney concluded.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into Gaza.