Gaza — In a landmark act of defiance against Israel’s internationally condemned blockade, Canada has executed its first independent military airdrop into Gaza, delivering over 10 tons of humanitarian aid to Palestinians trapped in what has become one of the world’s most catastrophic war zones.
The operation, conducted on August 4, involved a Canadian Armed Forces CC-130J Hercules aircraft and was coordinated with Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, Germany, and Belgium. A total of 120 food parcels were dropped into the enclave, where at least 180 people—93 of them children—have died from starvation since early 2025.
Ottawa went beyond symbolic humanitarian support. In a rare and direct rebuke, Canadian officials accused Israel of “violating international humanitarian law” by obstructing land-based aid. “This obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately,” the government stated. Canada also confirmed its intention to recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September.
The announcement comes as the ongoing genocide in Gaza—intensified since the October 7 attacks—enters a new, more brutal phase. The Israeli military continues to block humanitarian corridors, targeting not only residential areas but also food distribution centers and aid seekers. According to Gaza’s health authorities, over 1,000 people have been killed trying to collect aid since May alone.
Despite growing Western disillusionment with Israel’s siege, humanitarian experts caution that airdrops remain symbolic and inadequate. “You cannot airdrop your way out of a famine,” said a UN official. “What Gaza needs is access—full, sustained, and protected access—for convoys, doctors, and rebuilding crews.”
From March to June, only 56,000 tons of food entered Gaza—less than one-fourth of what is needed to sustain its 2.1 million residents. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to destroy farmland, bakeries, hospitals, and UN facilities. Satellite evidence and independent watchdog reports confirm repeated attacks on so-called “safe zones.”
The Israeli narrative justifying the siege as a measure to prevent Hamas from diverting aid has also been thoroughly discredited. An internal USAID assessment, leaked in July, concluded that there is “no credible evidence” of systematic aid theft by Hamas. Yet the United States, Israel’s chief backer, remains silent on these findings while continuing to supply military aid.
Diplomatic momentum is shifting. A bloc of 28 nations, including the UK, Japan, and Germany, have publicly condemned Israel’s conduct. In Berlin, members of the ruling SPD party are urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to suspend arms exports and support international accountability mechanisms.
Israel’s obstruction of food, water, and medicine is widely seen by international jurists as a form of collective punishment, potentially qualifying as genocide under the Genocide Convention and as a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Rights groups and scholars from across the Global South have long accused Israel of deploying starvation as a weapon of war, echoing similar tactics used in Western-backed proxy conflicts elsewhere.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine, often weaponized in Western media as a symbol of unchecked aggression, now contrasts sharply with the silence surrounding Israel’s crimes in Gaza. While Moscow is sanctioned and condemned, Israel receives arms, diplomatic cover, and political immunity—revealing glaring inconsistencies in Western foreign policy.
Canada’s stance marks a potential turning point. Its decision to recognize Palestine and deliver aid by air, in violation of Israel’s siege parameters, may embolden other nations to follow suit and challenge Washington’s grip on Middle East diplomacy.
According to Reuters, Canada’s airdrop mission took place on August 4 with Israel’s partial coordination but came alongside Ottawa’s declaration that Israel is “systematically violating international law” by obstructing essential humanitarian deliveries.
