Ottawa sued for restoring UNRWA funding
Victims’ families seek halt of funds to Gaza aid group
• Canadian relatives of victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks are suing the Canadian government over its decision last month to resume funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, given the controversial agency’s alleged “history and participation with Hamas,” listed as a terrorist group under Canadian criminal law.
The families, alongside the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, filed notice of the suit in Federal Court on Thursday. The suit is asking for an order to reverse the Liberal government’s decision to resume funding UNRWA.
The application argues that Hamas co-locates its terrorist infrastructure with UNRWA facilities and that UNRWA schools teach Palestinian children to hate and kill Jews. It also argues that UNRWA staff participated in the Oct. 7 massacre that killed 1,200 people in Israel.
By funding UNRWA, the litigants argue, the government is funding terror while violating its own policies on ensuring foreign aid aligns with Canadian values.
“Though there is no dispute that humanitarian aid is needed and must urgently reach the civilian population in Gaza, the application lays out the arguments of why UNRWA cannot be the agency to fulfill this responsibility and should be disqualified from funding,” read a statement by CIJA.
“Under Canadian law, funding can only be advanced to organizations that respect Canadian values and international human rights standards. Additionally, given UNRWA’S well-documented links to Hamas, a terrorist organization under Canadian law, by resuming Canadian funding to UNRWA, the government is in violation of its own anti-terrorism legislation.”
The suit notes that CIJA provided evidence to Global Affairs Canada of UNRWA’S involvement with Hamas prior to the funding being reinstated, including evidence of UNRWA employees participating in murder and kidnapping on Oct. 7, a released hostage reporting being held in the home of an UNRWA employee, and hundreds of UNRWA employees belonging to Hamas’s military wing, while hundreds more belong to other Palestinian terror groups.
Along with CIJA, the application was filed by Dikla Mizrachi, the mother of 22-year-old Ben Mizrahi from Vancouver, who was killed by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7; Iris Liniado, whose mother Judih Weinstein Haggai, a Canadian peace activist living in Israel, was also killed; Ottawa-born Jacqui Vital, whose daughter Adi Vital was killed; and Rachel Ohnona, whose son Alexandre Look was killed at the Nova music festival.
Following suit with the U.S. State Department, Canada paused its funding for UNRWA in January after Israel came forward with evidence that UN employees had participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.
The Liberal government reversed the decision in March, in time for Canada to make good on its $25-million funding pledge to UNRWA, part of a $100-million grant announced last June.
In the application, the claimants state the decision to resume funding is “unreasonable in light of UNRWA’S history and participation with Hamas, a listed terrorist entity pursuant to Criminal Code Section 83.05,” and accuses the government’s failure to comply with a number of statutory duties.
While Global Affairs Canada won’t comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, spokesperson Pierre Cuguen said that the critical importance of humanitarian assistance can’t be overstated.
“UNRWA plays a vital role in supporting over four million people in the region, including two million in Gaza, particularly women and children who have been suffering for over six months,” he said. “Global Affairs Canada rigorously scrutinizes all decisions related to humanitarian assistance. This includes a comprehensive review of reports, oversight measures, and the effectiveness of aid delivery to align our actions with our values of transparency and accountability.”
By resuming funding to UNRWA, Cuguen maintains, Canada is taking the lead alongside international partners in demonstrating its leadership in tackling global humanitarian crises.