Canada PM Trudeau says no decision yet on resuming UNRWA funding

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said Ottawa had not decided whether it would resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA after Israel claimed some staff had been involved in the 7 October Hamas attack.

Earlier this week the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Associated Press cited unnamed government sources as saying Canada would reverse its 26 January decision to pause any additional funding to UNRWA.

But Trudeau, asked directly whether this was the case, said Ottawa was waiting for the results of an internal United Nations probe into the Israeli allegations that 12 UNRWA staff had been involved in the attack in which around 1,160 people died, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

"We're not making any announcements today… we will continue to look at this situation. We will continue to watch the UN as it looks into what's happening within this organisation," he told reporters in Toronto.

A total of 16 donors, including the US and UK, have controversially paused their funding to UNRWA amid widespread hunger in Gaza.

"The ongoing humanitarian crisis and disaster in Gaza is heart wrenching for everyone. We know how important it is to get aid into Gaza," said Trudeau, saying people in the enclave faced starvation.

Israel's war on Gaza has so far killed 30,800 people, according to the strip's health ministry.

Israeli forces have attacked hospitals, ambulances, and people looking for food aid.

Trudeau said no one could remain indifferent to the suffering in Gaza and noted "Canadians have very strong feelings about the conflict".

Police in Toronto, Canada's largest city, say the number of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes has spiked significantly since the start of the conflict.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters on Saturday blocked entrances to a Toronto building where Trudeau was due to host a reception for visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event was canceled.

(Reuters, The New Arab, AFP)