During a speech at the Cairo Peace Summit in Egypt, the minister stressed that this amount is in addition to the $10 million amount that International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen initially announced last week.

The money will be paid to various organizations, including certain United Nations agencies, to help the region, Ms. Joly said.

“No part of this sum will go to Hamas,” she stressed. The money will be used to address the urgent needs of the most vulnerable civilians during this crisis.”

About 430 Canadian citizens and their families have been stuck in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which was followed by retaliation by the Israeli army. Discussions about being able to evacuate them continue on several fronts.

Thanks to the temporary opening of a border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, a first convoy of humanitarian aid was sent to the region on Saturday. Minister Joly was pleased with this news, but “this is not enough,” she added.

In fact, only 20 trucks were allowed to enter, an amount considered insufficient to deal with the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, according to aid workers on the ground. More than 200 trucks carrying around 3,000 tons of humanitarian equipment have been parked near the border crossing for days.

“We must enable rapid and barrier-free access for humanitarian aid in order to provide vital assistance to people in need,” argued Minister Joly.

“Even in times of crisis there are principles, and even in times of war there are rules. Canada supports the fact that all parties to a conflict must respect international humanitarian law at all times.”

The humanitarian situation has worsened in the last week

in Gaza, where more than two million people live. People are forced to ration food and drink unsafe water, while hospitals report shortages of medical supplies and fuel.

Fear of major conflicts

Also during her speech at the Cairo Peace Summit, Ms. Joly condemned Iran’s support for Hamas, calling it “deeply disturbing.” She fears this could have a snowball effect and help spread the conflict to other countries, something Canada wants to avoid.

“We are seriously concerned about the actions of Iran and its allies aimed at destabilizing peace and security in the Middle East,” the minister said.

In addition, the head of Canadian diplomacy confirmed that the death toll in Canada related to the conflict between Hamas and Israel remains at six dead and two missing. In total, the clashes have left more than 4,000 Palestinians and 1,400 people in Israel dead.

Canada continues to advocate for a “two-state solution,” in which a Palestinian state and a state of Israel coexist.

“Israeli and Palestinian civilians are equal and both must be protected. They deserve to be able to live in peace and security, in dignity and without fear,” Minister Joly argued, echoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s support on Friday.

“The world and the region need a peaceful, secure, prosperous and viable Palestinian state alongside a peaceful, prosperous, democratic and secure Israeli state,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Ontario on Friday.