Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
I would like to start by stating and recognizing clearly that a person is a person is a person. I'm sure that this is a value that guides Global Affairs. All of us around this table recognize the common humanity we all have. We hope for a peaceful tomorrow, when everybody can live in true peace and dignity throughout the world, including in the Middle East, in Israel, in the West Bank and in Gaza.
We also recognize that there was a dramatic escalation of violence on October 7. What Hamas did terrorized Israeli civilians. We mourn the loss of each and every life—the 1,400 who died. We want to see the hostages who are currently being held freed. We also mourn the loss of life that is occurring right now as we speak, hour by hour, within Gaza and other parts of the region.
I'd like to focus on humanitarian aid.
Thus far, Canada has committed $60 million in humanitarian aid. We were the first within the international community to say that we will be there to help people who are facing a humanitarian crisis within Gaza. We were the first country to do so.
There has been a major challenge in terms of actually getting that aid to the people who need it. Can you tell us what the impediments are to getting the aid into Gaza?