Since early October, Canada has pledged $60 million in aid to the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas amid the intensifying war between Israel and Hamas.

According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this donation to the region exceeds any Canadian donation of its kind to Gaza and the West Bank in at least 20 years, more than double the humanitarian aid provided there throughout 2021, which totaled approximately $23 million in today's dollars.

The aid announcements come amid intense airstrikes and ground battles in Gaza by the Israeli military, the latest in a series of responses to an attack launched by Hamas on October 7.

Since the war began earlier this month, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and another 8,525 Palestinians in Gaza, according to figures released by Israeli officials and the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, respectively.

A press release issued earlier this month from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) stated that $50 million from the 2023 aid package will "help provide food, water, emergency medical assistance, protection services, and other life-saving aid" to Palestinians affected by the war. .

Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said in a statement issued on October 21, "The critical and immediate needs of civilians affected by the crisis become clearer each day," "As Canada's partners announce their increasing needs, this new aid will allow us to quickly provide them with funding so they can intensify their efforts to assist those who need it most."

The war in Gaza joins a growing list of crises abroad, as the humanitarian emergency caused by the war between Israel and Hamas has been added to GAC's list of ongoing international crises targeted by Canadian aid.

These other contributions include $58 million to address floods in Pakistan last summer, disaster relief for Turkey and Syria totaling around $80 million after the earthquakes that struck both countries earlier this year, and aid to Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion. Since January 2022, Canada has contributed more than $350 million in humanitarian aid, along with billions more in economic and development assistance.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement issued in August on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, "As Russia continues its brutal war against Ukraine, Canada will be there to support Ukrainians no matter how long it takes."

Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon top the total annual aid, and according to the latest available data from the OECD, Canada's total humanitarian contributions amounted to about $1.09 billion in 2021, representing about 15 percent of Canada’s total development assistance that year.

The largest beneficiaries of humanitarian funding in 2021 were Syria ($90 million) and Yemen ($85 million), where conflict created conditions described by GAC as "devastating" and "urgent."

Lebanon also received a significant amount of humanitarian funding from Canada ($58 million) following the Beirut explosion in 2020, which exacerbated existing social, economic, political, and epidemiological crises.

The Government Advisory Committee report for 2020-2021 to Parliament stated that "displaced and conflict-affected communities were particularly hard hit by the pandemic."

"We are proud of the work accomplished this year and the tangible results achieved - on behalf of all Canadians - to promote inclusive and sustainable recovery from the pandemic, and ultimately, to build a more peaceful and prosperous world for everyone."

Despite increased aid spending, Canada lags behind its G7 peers. OECD data shows steady growth in Canada’s official development assistance spending in recent years, reaching $7 billion in 2021, up from $4.6 billion in 2016. Funding allocated for humanitarian causes fluctuated during that time, rising to $1.09 billion in 2021 from $843 million in 2016. Canada also allocated $652 million to assist refugees within the country in 2021.

Official development assistance funding includes development aid aimed at supporting health, education, and the economy in recipient countries, as well as humanitarian aid aimed at saving lives and alleviating the suffering of those affected by crises. Notably, 2021 saw a sharp increase in Canadian official development assistance spending related to health, soaring to $1.8 billion in 2021 after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than triple the amount in 2020.

Despite annual growth, Canada falls behind many other countries regarding aid spending relative to its size.

Preliminary OECD data for 2022 shows Canada spent $7.8 billion USD in grant equivalents for official development assistance, or 0.37% of the country’s gross national income that year.

This is slightly more than half of the spending target set by the United Nations at 0.7 percent, placing Canada fifth among its G7 peers, behind Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan, but ahead of Italy and the United States.

Canada’s 2023 budget underscores the importance of continued investment in overseas development. The budget released on March 28 stated, "Canada must continue to take necessary actions to address urgent humanitarian, development, and security challenges — both here at home and around the world."

However, international relief groups said the 2023 budget falls short of expectations.

A statement released in March by the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health, a coalition of health and social care organizations, said: "Compared to the 2022 budget, total international aid funding has been cut by at least $1.3 billion — a 15 percent reduction." Human rights organizations.

"At a time of tremendous global need, the Canadian government has failed to fulfill its promise to increase foreign aid every year."