Montreal, June 4, 2025 – CJPME has sent a letter to Justice Minister Sean Fraser urging clarification about the RCMP’s possible war crimes investigation into Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Click here to download the full letter as a PDF.
Dear Minister Fraser,
I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to request clarity regarding media reports that the RCMP, under Canada’s War Crimes Program, has launched an investigation into war crimes related to the “Israel-Hamas armed conflict.”[i] We have been advocating for such an investigation and cautiously welcome this development, but have concerns about the lack of details and transparency surrounding the RCMP’s activities. In the context of the genocidal acts currently being committed by Israel in Gaza, it is critically important that Canada’s investigation is meaningful and able to hold perpetrators accountable.
On January 18, 2024, my organization issued a letter to your predecessor, Minister Virani, requesting immediate action to investigate and deter the participation of Canadian nationals in violations of international law in Gaza.[ii] As we noted at the time, the voluntary participation of Canadian nationals in Israel’s offensive as “lone soldiers’ raises the serious likelihood that they are involved in the commission of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Canada has obligations under international and domestic law to investigate the commission of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, and prosecute the suspects.[iii]
Reports from the Toronto Star suggest that the RCMP launched an investigation into war crimes in the Gaza context around the same time, in “early 2024,” but the RCMP has not provided any further details. However, reports in the Israeli press suggest that the investigation is targeting dual nationals who served in the Israeli military.[iv]
If it is true that the War Crimes program is investigating the participation of Canadians in crimes committed by the Israeli military, it is a positive step towards justice. However, we are concerned about the lack of information surrounding the investigation, especially when compared to the investigation into war crimes in Ukraine in 2022. At that time, Canada made a public statement announcing the investigation,[v] created a website to solicit information from victims and witnesses to war crimes and crimes against humanity,[vi] and sent a team of RCMP investigators to assist the International Criminal Court with its own investigation.[vii] The fact that none of these activities have been conducted in relation to the current investigation raises skepticism about the likelihood that it will be successful in achieving justice for the victims of war crimes and genocide, whether Palestinian or Israeli.
We have updated our recommendations as communicated in our January 2024 letter, and are calling on the Canadian government to:
- Issue an urgent public statement announcing the current investigation by the War Crimes Program and outlining its scope and objectives;
- Confirm that the investigation includes looking at the participation of Canadian nationals involved in Israel’s military activities in Gaza, as well as the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria;
- Gather stories and preserve evidence from the victims of these crimes, including Palestinians from Gaza who are currently seeking refuge in Canada;
- Publish a website to collect information from victims and witnesses of war crimes and genocide in Gaza, similar to the website created for the Ukraine investigation;
- Issue a warning to Canadian nationals that serving or volunteering with the Israeli military may make them criminally liable under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act;
- Ensure that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is conducting detailed interviews with Canadian nationals who are returning from foreign military service;
- Share the evidence and findings of its investigations with the International Criminal Court;
- Publicly investigate the HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers for breaching section 11(1) of Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act by inducing Canadians to join the Israeli military.
Finally, I want to emphasize that the occupied Gaza Strip is not the only jurisdiction in which Israel’s actions are relevant to the War Crimes Program. For example, Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are considered war crimes under Canadian law, and yet Canada has allowed trade and other dealings with settlements to continue unabated for decades. We reiterate our demand that the Minister of Justice must investigate and prosecute individuals involved in the transaction and promotion of the sale of settlement properties in the OPT. This should be included in the scope of the current investigation. You can read more about this in our position paper, which is attached.[viii]
I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important matter.
Sincerely,
Michael Bueckert, PhD
Acting President
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[i] Toronto Star, “RCMP says it’s probing potential war crimes related to Israel-Hamas conflict,” June 2, 2025, https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/rcmp-says-it-s-probing-potential-war-crimes-related-to-israel-hamas-conflict/article_600ca131-7015-4c55-a24a-62edf2df566c.html
[ii] CJPME, “Letter to Minister Virani: Investigate Canadians in IDF,” January 18, 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/letter_2024_01_18_virani_idf
[iii] ICRC International Humanitarian Law Database, “Rule 158: Prosecution of War crimes,” https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule158; Government of Canada, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (S.C. 2000, c. 24), https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-45.9/page-1.html
[iv] i24 News, “Canada launches war crimes probe into IDF veterans with dual citizenship,” June 3, 2025, https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/artc-canada-launches-war-crimes-probe-into-into-idf-veterans-with-dual-citizenship
[v] RCMP, “A statement by the partners of Canada’s War Crimes Program on the conflict in Ukraine,” April 7, 2022, https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2022/a-statement-the-partners-canadas-war-crimes-program-the-conflict-ukraine
[vi] RCMP, “Canada’s investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine,” last modified December 2, 2024, https://ukraine.rcmp.ca/responseForm?lang=en
[vii] CBC News, “RCMP sending investigators to The Hague to probe allegations of war crimes in Ukraine,” March 29, 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-more-investigators-to-hague-1.6401555
[viii] CJPME, Position Paper: A Whole-of-Government Approach to Ending Canadian Involvement in Israeli Settlements, 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/pp_2024_04_israeli_settlements