(Ottawa) Canada will provide 10 million for humanitarian aid to civilians in Lebanon, in the context of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced in a press release on Saturday that the money will be used to provide food, water and emergency health care, including sexual and reproductive health.
He added that this funding is in addition to the 10 million already allocated to the crisis in Lebanon by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, to which Canada is a donor.
Hezbollah, which Canada considers a terrorist organization, confirmed Saturday that its leader and one of its founding members were killed in an Israeli airstrike in a southern Beirut suburb.
Israel has vowed to step up pressure on Hezbollah until it ceases attacks that have displaced tens of thousands of Israelis from communities near the Lebanese border.
The press release announcing Canada’s humanitarian funding also calls for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border.
“With the funding announced today, Canada’s partners will be able to step up their efforts to help those in urgent need,” Mr. Hussen wrote in the press release.
We call for an end to the violence in Lebanon and call on all parties to protect civilians and humanitarian workers from harm and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development of Canada
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in support of Gaza on October 8, a day after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others.
The statement said Canada continues to monitor the situation in Lebanon and remains in close contact with its humanitarian partners to assess and respond to evolving needs.
“Canada stands in solidarity with the Lebanese people affected by this conflict, and we are determined to help provide them with the humanitarian assistance they need,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly in the press release.