The Israeli Defence Force’s international spokesperson refuted claims made by Canada’s foreign affairs minister alleging that Israel is employing food as a political weapon against the people of Gaza.
Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani spoke to reporters in Israel on Sunday, responding to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s first comments to the media in her new role.
Anand accused Israel of using food as a “political tool,” and that “over 50,000 people” have died in Gaza as a “result of the aggression caused against the Palestinian and Gazan people in Palestine.”
Shoshani noted that Israel has provided 1.4 million tons of aid to Gaza, and doesn’t “facilitate” the alleged actions.”
“We do not believe that there’s a situation of starvation in Gaza. We have a team of experts monitoring the situation in Gaza, and our goal now is to make sure we can find a way for aid to go to the people of Gaza, not to Hamas,” Shoshani said. “Our goal is to make sure we are fighting Hamas while we are not fighting the civilian population, and not just to give food to Hamas to make them stronger, and make this war longer.”
Anand also received criticism from Jewish Canadians offended that she described Israel’s actions against Hamas, who still hold hostages taken on October 7, as “aggression.” Critics such as Honest Reporting Canada argue Anand fails to acknowledge Hamas stealing aid from its own citizens and its alleged use of human shields in civilian areas.
Anand also cited that the death toll in Gaza is over 50,000, which comes from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers. Hamas’ reported numbers have been criticized as being unreliable, and they fail to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
In May 2024, the last time Israel released its estimated casualty numbers, it reported the IDF had killed more than 14,000 terrorists and approximately 16,000 civilians since it launched its war in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 attack in 2023.
During the same time, the Gaza Ministry of Health claimed nearly 35,000 were killed.In a post on X Sunday, Anand reported Prime Minister Mark Carney and Israeli President of State Isaac Herzog discussed an “immediate ceasefire, Hamas’ complete surrender, a ‘resumption’ of aid into Gaza and a two-state solution.