Canada’s funding for UN’s Gaza relief agency still in limbo

— Canada hasn’t made a final decision on whether to resume funding to a United Nations aid organization in the Gaza Strip when its next scheduled payment is due in April.

Discussions continue on the subject, a senior government source said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

That includes talks with other countries that also froze funding in January to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA.

Sixteen countries, including a dozen of the top 15 donors to the organization, paused their payments after Israel alleged that a dozen of the aid organization’s workers participated in the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7.

That day, militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took another roughly 250 hostage, triggering a devastating war.

Authorities in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, say more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military response.

UNRWA is the primary provider of social and humanitarian assistance in the territory, including health care and education. It relies almost exclusively on donations from UN member countries.

Canada has not missed a payment since announcing the pause in funding. Its payment of $25 million for this year isn’t due until April.

International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said last week that he had seen evidence provided by Israel, and Canada would not make a decision on restoring funding until an investigation has concluded.

“We have been working with our UN partners as well as donor countries that paused funding, like Canada, to ensure that we have a transparent, comprehensive investigation,” Hussen said in Ottawa on Feb. 28.

His office muddied the waters by scheduling and abruptly cancelling a press conference with Hussen on Wednesday morning.

He was to provide an update on the aid situation in Gaza, including a recent promise to help organize airdrops.

Then his staff cancelled it about 90 minutes before it was to begin.

A spokeswoman for Hussen would only say it was cancelled for “logistical reasons.” She would not confirm or deny a report from CBC News on Tuesday evening that Hussen was set to announce UNRWA funding would flow as scheduled.