Canadian aid in Gaza squandered by Israeli actions, UN says

The United Nations official overseeing water and sanitation in the Gaza Strip is praising Canada’s support for Palestinians but warns that some of its aid money is being squandered by Israel’s attacks on water facilities and restrictions on aid groups. Jonathan Veitch, the head of UNICEF for the Palestinian territories, said the Israeli military’s destruction of facilities like the Canada Well and attacks on those paid to deliver water are making survival harder for desperate families now living in rat-infested tents.“On the ground, the situation is pretty horrific,” Veitch told The Canadian Press in an exclusive interview during his visit to Ottawa earlier this month.“All we’re asking for is the basic humanitarian needs to be met through a recovery process and fixing some of these systems.”Veitch spent five days on a rare visit to the Gaza Strip in early July just before coming to Ottawa. Story continues below advertisement The United States’ war on Iran and Israel’s invasion of Lebanon have diverted media attention away from the Gaza Strip. UNICEF says at least 200 children have been killed by hostilities since a ceasefire took effect last October.“The conditions on the ground ha...