The six parliamentarians in the delegation include Liberal MPs Fares Al-Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini, and Sameer Zuberi, alongside NDP MP Jenny Kwan. Prior to the trip, Kwan told CBC News she suspected the group might face entry refusal given the deterioration in relations between Ottawa and Jerusalem over the past two years.

The visit is sponsored by The Canadian Muslim Vote, a registered non-profit. According to the Israeli Embassy in Canada, the group receives the majority of its funding from "Islamic Relief Canada," a branch of "Islamic Relief Worldwide," which appears on Israel's list of terror-designated entities. The MPs were scheduled to visit Judea and Samaria to meet with Palestinian families and hear about how they are supposedly being maligned by Jewish settlers, as well as to meet with Palestinian Authority officials to discuss democratic reforms. According to local Canadian reports, a similar visit was organized in early 2024 for a different group of Liberal and socialist NDP lawmakers, but tensions between Canada and Israel have since worsened. Relations ran aground following Canada's official recognition of a Palestinian state about three months ago.

In a statement to CBC News, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed that "several foreign nationals who arrived at the Allenby Bridge crossing without prior coordination" were barred from entering. "Following checks by security officials, in coordination with the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Population and Immigration Authority, the decision was made to prevent their entry into the Judea and Samaria region for security reasons," the statement read.

MP Kwan, however, insisted the delegation had coordinated with Israeli authorities through Canadian government channels, while two other lawmakers alleged "aggressive" treatment by Israeli border officials. "At no point did we try to hide the information. We were completely forthright," Kwan said in an interview with CBC News.

She explained that the MPs hold special diplomatic passports and were not provided with the standard entry refusal form – and consequently were not asked to sign it. She added that she does not accept the justification Israel provided for the refusal.

"I reject outright the claim that civil society organizations engaged in humanitarian work on the ground constitute a security threat, and I also reject the idea that members of parliament, who are performing their duties, somehow constitute a security threat," she said. Kwan noted that before attempting to enter, the delegation visited a refugee camp in Jordan and spoke with families about their experiences. She remarked that she had not yet heard how the Canadian government intends to respond, but added: "One must ask – what exactly is the Israeli government trying to hide?"

MP Iqra Khalid of Ontario, a member of Prime Minister Mark Carney's party, told CBC News she was part of the delegation and was pushed several times by Israeli border inspectors.

She recounted noticing an Israeli official interrogating another delegation member and approaching to ensure her colleague was not in danger. According to Khalid, one officer ordered her to step back, after which another officer approached her. "He was yelling and screaming at my face, telling me to go away, and he pushed me back into the wall," Khalid said. "At that point, I said, 'Please don't touch me,' and he said, 'I will touch you as much as I want,' and pushed me again."

Khalid noted that other representatives intervened "and took me away from that situation before it escalated" before it could escalate. "I was shocked by the aggressive and hostile behavior," she added.

Global Affairs Minister Anita Anand released a statement on X regarding the incident. "Today a private delegation of Canadians – which included Members of Parliament – was denied entry to the West Bank at an Israeli border crossing," Anand wrote. "Global Affairs is in contact with the delegation and we have expressed Canada's objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians while attempting to cross."

Speaking with CBC News, Islamic Relief Canada CEO Tufail Hussain said Israel's accusations were "false and reckless."

"Islamic Relief Canada is a Canadian-registered humanitarian charity operating under Canadian law, with rigorous compliance controls and extensive independent auditing," Hussain said.

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According to security sources, the decision to increase aid is a decision by the political echelon. Some argue this represents "an attempt to prepare the ground for extensive military action in the Strip," which is apparently already being planned.

As part of developing the mechanism, the security system approved a limited number of local merchants subject to several criteria and rigorous security screening.

The approved goods include basic food staples, baby formula, fruits and vegetables, and hygiene products. Payment transfers for purchasing the goods will be conducted through bank transfers only under a control and supervision mechanism. All goods will undergo rigorous inspection by the Land Crossings Authority at the Ministry of Defense before entering the Gaza Strip.

According to the data, more than 300 trucks entered Gaza and are now awaiting collection and distribution, along with hundreds of others still waiting in line for pickup by the UN. Nearly 250 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations.

"The IDF through COGAT in cooperation with security bodies will continue operating control and supervision mechanisms for aid entry to the Gaza Strip, while taking all possible actions to prevent involvement of the terrorist organization Hamas in the processes of bringing and distributing aid," COGAT stated.

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The PA has stopped coordinating with Israel and refuses to cooperate with "signs of normalization" with Israel that Arab countries have been showing.

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Meanwhile, the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon has announced that due to the continued spread of coronavirus in Judea and Samaria, Israel has decided to keep Palestinian workers employed in Israel from crossing back and forth. The workers will be allowed to return home to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which begins on July 30, with their families. However, workers who do travel to the PA for the holiday will not be permitted to return to Israel.

COGAT has also decided that as Eid al-Adha approaches, it will assess the matter of Palestinian workers being allowed into Israel and will issue updates as necessary.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced 293 new cases among Palestinians in a 24-hour period. Tuesday saw another four Palestinian deaths from the virus and 59 Palestinian coronavirus patients recovered. Another 18 were in intensive care.

As of Tuesday, the number of active or symptomatic cases in the PA stood at 6,372, while 1,317 patients have recovered. The death toll from coronavirus among the Palestinians stood at 45 as of Tuesday.  

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Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa said he wanted to bring some holiday cheer to Gaza's Christians because it remains unclear whether they will be able to travel to Bethlehem in Judea and Samaria for the holiday. Israel has not said whether it will allow Gaza's Christians to exit the Hamas-ruled territory.

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"Every year we have the same problem, the permits to go from Gaza to Bethlehem and vice versa. We know that Gaza is closed and we can't accept the situation," Pizzaballa said. "We will do everything possible to change it, but meanwhile despite the situation – we want to celebrate."

In previous years, Israel has granted travel permits to large numbers of Gaza Christians to visit religious sites and spend time with family in Israel and the West Bank.

But this year, COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said it has not yet decided whether to issue the permits en masse. COGAT said, however, it is considering individual permit requests. It also is allowing 100 Christians to travel abroad.

About 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, a tiny fraction of the territory's 2 million people. Most are Greek Orthodox, with Catholics making up about a quarter of the small community.

While the ruling terrorist organization Hamas considers the Christians a protected minority, Christians have been targeted over the years by Islamists. The Christian community has greatly dwindled since Hamas took power in 2007, with large numbers emigrating.

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Israel effectively revoked thousands of work permits when it joined Egypt in imposing a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

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In recent months, Israel has quietly provided some relief as part of an unofficial, Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas, in exchange for reduced rocket fire from the territory and the scaling back of weekly rioting along the border. It has allowed Qatar to deliver millions of dollars in cash to allow Hamas to pay its civil servants and has allowed the United Nations to step up aid efforts.

Now it appears Israel has expanded a program in which it had long provided hundreds of permits to business owners to travel to Israel and Judea and Samaria for commerce. Palestinian officials say it is now providing some 5,000 so-called merchant permits and awarding them to Palestinians working as laborers in construction, agriculture, and manufacturing.

The IDF's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, which administers civilian affairs in Gaza, did not respond to requests for comment. Hamas officials also declined to comment.

On a recent Sunday, dozens of men in tattered clothes, carrying their personal belongings in duffel bags and plastic sacks, filed through revolving gates at the Erez crossing into Israel. Each had a merchant permit, but many of them appeared to be making the crossing for the first time and asked for advice on how to proceed.

One of the workers, who identified himself only as Raed, said he paid $500 to a Gaza company to apply for a merchant permit and then reconnected with construction firms he had worked for prior to 2007. He said the added income allowed him to add a new floor to his building and buy a taxi for one of his children. He declined to provide his last name, fearing it could endanger his permit.

"This is a golden opportunity," he said. But he also fears the permit could be withdrawn at any time. "There are no laws securing our rights if we get into a dispute with the employer."

For Israel, the apparent change of policy carries some risks, both politically and in terms of security.

The decision to allow several thousand young men from Gaza into Israel could draw criticism – especially at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fire from hard-line rivals for his failure to halt frequent rocket attacks from Gaza.

But others say that improving lives in Gaza is also an Israeli interest. Gadi Yarkoni, head of the Eshkol Regional Council in the western Negev, said he was unaware of the development but was in favor.

"I've long said we have to allow for a better future for them, and as long as the security requirements are met, they should be allowed in," he said. "It's the right direction. And if it is being done quietly, that's also a good idea."

Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Salih al-Ziq, the head of the Palestinian Authority's liaison committee, which coordinates the entry and exit of Palestinians with Israel, said Israel increased its quota for trader permits from fewer than 1,000 in 2017 to 5,000 today. He said 4,000 have already been issued and that the committee stopped receiving new applications after 2,000 were submitted for the last 1,000 slots.

Another Palestinian official, who was not authorized to talk to the media, said the Palestinian Authority was not involved in the decision to expand the permits, calling it a deal reached by Israel and Hamas. The Western-backed PA has accused Israel of providing a lifeline to its Hamas rivals by easing the blockade as part of the informal ceasefire.

The liaison committee plans to take measures to rein in the awarding of trader permits. This month it transferred the vetting authority to the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, apparently to avoid taking any part in the understandings between Israel and Hamas.

Maher al-Tabaa, an official with the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, said a "large portion" of those exiting on trader permits are workers. He said Israel has extended the permits from three to six months and lowered the minimum age of eligibility to 25 from 30.

"This is good for Gaza, but it's a very limited effect," he said. "We need 15,000 to 20,000 workers to go there in order to feel the effect of this easing."

Gaza's descent into misery can be seen in the trajectory of men like Fadi, another worker who declined to give his last name for fear of retribution.

As the owner of an upscale men's clothing store in Gaza City, he held a merchant permit for years, using it to purchase clothes and shoes from Israeli wholesalers. But like many others, his business fell on hard times in recent years, particularly after the Palestinian Authority began slashing the salaries of tens of thousands of its civil servants in Gaza.

Fadi was forced to close his shop and was left with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Even though he is a certified accountant, the best job he could find in Gaza paid just $300 a month.

So, with the merchant permit from his business days, he crossed into Israel and began looking for work. For several days he waited at a traffic circle in Ashkelon where contractors are known to recruit laborers. He was eventually picked up and put to work at a construction site loading concrete rubble into containers for removal.

"On the first day, I suffered under the sun and wanted to go home, but then I thought of my commitments in Gaza," he said.

The job pays $600 a week. He spends the week in Israel, sleeping in a crowded, shared apartment with other workers from Judea and Samaria and Gaza, and returns to Gaza on the weekends to spend time with his family.

"I use the money I earn in Israel to pay my debts in Gaza and provide a decent life for my family," he said. "When I pay off my debts, I will think about quitting this hard work."

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On Wednesday, the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories and the Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) for Gaza coordinated the delivery of 250 bags of mail from Israel to Gaza. The shipment included 172 parcels that contained items that are deemed "dual use," meaning they could be used for nefarious purposes as well as for innocent activity. An officer with the unit from the CLA for Gaza who was stationed at the crossing confiscated the items, all of which had been ordered online.

The items identified in the parcels included digital microscopes, gun sights and other accessories for weapons, such as drones, electronic components, field telephones, cameras, diving flashlights and army shoes.

Head of Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, Col. Iyad Sarhan, said, "We take any attempt to exploit civil coordination on mail delivery to ship dual-use items that could hurt the security of Israel and its citizens."

"Our officers at the crossing, along with the Land Crossings Authority in the Defense Ministry and the Israel Postal Company, are working around the clock to thwart this kind of smuggling and keep out equipment that can be used for belligerent and terrorist purposes," Sarhan said.

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