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NEW YORK: Canada on Monday called on Israel to open land corridors for unimpeded access to humanitarian aid at scale in Gaza.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand also called on Israel to protect the civilian population and health care facilities in the Palestinian enclave.

Canada recognized Palestine last week, marking a shift from its long-standing position that statehood should be the result of a negotiated settlement. 

The decision was announced alongside the UK and Australia, with Canada saying the two-state solution was no longer tenable without this action. 

“Canada recognizes the state of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future,” Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X at the time.

Anand said last week’s recognition “reflects long-standing Canadian policy, based on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and our commitment to a two-state solution, a future where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace and security.”

The two-state solution is eroding, “as is evident in Israel’s illegal expansion of West Bank settlements,” she added.

Canada has committed over $340 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and its military has participated in air drops, Anand said.

She expressed support for partners in the region “who continue their efforts to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible and to contribute to the political processes that must follow. Canada will participate in these processes in every way that we can.”

She added: “We’re committed to efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, working collaboratively with partners in the region.”

Anand condemned as “horrific” the Hamas attack on Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, and called the group an “impediment to peace.”

She added: “Canada calls on Hamas to lay down its weapons and to release all remaining hostages immediately. The scope of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is catastrophic and requires urgent action.”

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government will reduce the cost of Hajj packages in 2026, authorities said on Monday, following three consecutive years of failing to fill its allocated pilgrimage quota.

Bangladesh, one of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, has been granted by ������Ƶ a quota of over 127,000 pilgrims, but since 2023 has been struggling to meet it.

In 2024, only 85,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims were able to embark on the spiritual journey that is one of the five pillars of Islam, because of high inflation and flight fares to the Middle East.

In 2025, the number increased by only 2,000, despite major price reductions to Hajj packages, up to 20 percent in some cases.

With last year’s reduction in place, for 2026 the government is cutting the price by another $100, hopeful there will not be a repeat of the previous situation.

“We hope that the reduced Hajj package rate will be affordable, and it will help increase the number of Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh, compared with recent years,” Abdul Awal Hawlader, additional secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.

“Last year, far fewer pilgrims registered due to high airfare, which we reduced by around $100 this year.”

The minimum government rate for Hajj in 2026 will be nearly $3,890.

Accommodation for this package has been arranged in the Aziziya area — a few kilometers from the Great Mosque of Makkah and the Holy Kaaba. Two other more expensive packages will allow Bangladeshi pilgrims to stay closer to the most sacred site in Islam.

The 2026 Hajj is expected to begin in late May. The deadline for Bangladeshi pilgrims to register is Oct. 12.

“Already more than 50,000 pilgrims have completed their preliminary Hajj registration, as the process began at the end of July,” Hawlader said. “We are hopeful to fill the Hajj quota this year.”

Special flights from Bangladesh are set to start in mid-April, as pilgrims from populous countries often prefer to arrive early.

This is not only to prepare mentally and spiritually for the pilgrimage, but also because accommodation and transportation are managed over weeks, especially for countries with large quotas.

With the number of registrations already higher than it was at the same time last year, Hawlader expects pilgrims who could not travel in 2025 to now use the upcoming opportunity.

“Better management will also attract more pilgrims for next year’s Hajj,” he said. “For next year, we have received a quota of 127,198 pilgrims, and we are hopeful that we will be able to fulfill it.”