Canadian authorities are investigating Canadian citizens who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the wake of the Hamas terror attack of October 7 for alleged “war crimes.”
The probe of IDF volunteers — known as “lone soldiers” in Israel — and reservists is the first of its kind, and has deepened a sense of vulnerability in the Canadian Jewish community, under siege from antisemitism.
The probe began under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but was only revealed to the public earlier this week. New Prime Minister Mark Carney has reinforced and extended Trudeau’s anti-Israel policies and rhetoric.
Many Israelis around the world with dual citizenship who had performed their mandatory military service before moving or returning abroad were called up for duty after October 7; almost all reported for the war.
In addition, there were some Jews and supporters of Israel — a far smaller number — who volunteered for Israeli military service during the war. These are now targets of investigation by the Canadian police.
There are no specific allegations that any Canadian citizens did anything wrong; the blanket claim of “war crimes” is being used to justify the inquiry, which apparently will also probe Canadians who helped Hamas.
The Toronto Star reported this week:
The RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] launched the investigation quietly in early 2024. The lack of announcement stands in stark contrast to the agency’s probe into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, which has involved a hotline and dedicated webpage, media interviews, online advertising, signs erected at airports and questionnaires distributed in an attempt to collect witness testimony from fleeing Ukrainians.
The RCMP calls these types of probes “structural investigations,” which fall under Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program (CAHWCP), a joint effort by the RCMP, Department of Justice, Canada Border Services Agency, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
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The RCMP did not comment on what triggered its investigation in “early 2024.”
Israeli news website i24 reported:
The revelations have sparked widespread concern among Canada’s Jewish and Israeli communities. Many dual citizens who volunteered as “lone soldiers” in the IDF now fear prosecution if they return home. Community leaders say a sense of unease is growing, with some describing an increasingly hostile political climate toward Israel and its supporters.
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Israeli expatriates in Canada are also voicing worries, noting what they perceive as a shift in the national mood. “There’s a tension we haven’t felt before,” said a resident of Toronto’s Israeli community. “The silence around the investigation is only making it worse.”
This marks the first known instance of Canadian authorities investigating their own citizens for alleged war crimes committed while serving in the Israeli military. No formal charges have been announced.
Israeli legal advocacy non-profit Shurat HaDin denounced the Canadian probes in a statement:
Although the RCMP claims the probe includes alleged offenses by both Israeli and Palestinian actors in the context of the Israel–Hamas conflict, the investigation appears to focus almost exclusively on IDF soldiers, raising serious concerns about its impartiality and intent.
In response, Shurat HaDin has initiated a global legal awareness and support campaign aimed at defending IDF reservists — particularly those traveling or living abroad — from politically motivated prosecutions and potential arrest under the guise of international law.
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Critics of the Canadian probe argue that by investigating both Israeli soldiers tasked with combating terrorism and Palestinian militants deliberately targeting civilians, Canadian authorities are drawing a false moral equivalence—conflating aggressors with defenders in a way that dangerously undermines fundamental ethical distinctions.
Shurat HaDin President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said: “By singling out Israeli soldiers, the Canadian government is emboldening terror organizations and betraying its own professed democratic values.
“The RCMP should focus its pressure on Hamas — the party that initiated this war, massacred civilians including Canadians, and continues to hold hostages — rather than playing into the hands of those who seek Israel’s destruction.
“Hamas’ useful idiots in Ottawa are serving to strengthen and encourage the Islamic terrorists who threaten their national security as much as ours.”
Antisemitic incidents in Canada have increased dramatically since October 7, with many Canadians blaming an immigration policy that has brought large numbers of Muslims, many with radical views, into the country.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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