Canada investigates Israeli soldiers on suspicion of crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.

A report released Tuesday indicated that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police opened an investigation early last year into suspected crimes against humanity committed during the war on Gaza. This has raised concerns among the Jewish community and Israeli citizens in Canada, as this is the first time Canada has conducted such an official investigation.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) calls these types of investigations "structural investigations," which fall under the Canada Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Prosecution Program (CAHWCP), a joint effort between the RCMP, the Department of Justice, the Canada Border Services Agency, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, according to a report published by the Toronto Star news site.

This investigation concerns Canadian citizens suspected of involvement in crimes against humanity during the war on Gaza, as part of their service in the Israeli military. The investigation is likely to include gathering evidence, exchanging information with international authorities, and filing indictments in Canadian courts.

Canadian police have not previously announced an investigation into "crimes related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas," unlike their widely publicized investigation into war crimes committed in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In this context, the Ynet website pointed out today that there are many Canadian citizens who are described as lone soldiers, meaning they are in Israel alone and without their families. There are also Israeli citizens living in Canada who came to Israel during the war for military service and later returned to Canada.

The Canadian Ministry of Justice says the CAHWCP "aims to prevent safe haven for war criminals and to work towards accountability and enforcement of these crimes."

Israel considers the Canadian investigation against its soldiers an escalation of the crisis in relations between the two countries. Canada condemned, in a joint statement with Britain and France last month, "the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza," threatening to impose "specific sanctions" on Israel. The statement also called on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli prisoners. Last week, Canada urged Israel to abandon its plans to build 22 new settlements in the West Bank, asserting that this would be illegal.

Ynet reported that there are widespread fears among the Jewish and Israeli communities in Canada of arrests or summonses for investigation against those who served in the Israeli army during the war. Ynet quoted a Jewish community official as saying, "The feeling is that we are facing a flare-up."

An Israeli living in Canada wrote in a WhatsApp group for Israelis there, "We are very close to making arrests for 'war crimes.' Young Canadians who were or are still in the army will be tried upon their return to Canada. This is very serious, guys. There are lawyers who are already concerned about this. But they are not investigating the Gazans who came here."

Another Israeli described the Canadian investigation as "the height of anti-Semitism," while a third Israeli in the WhatsApp group noted that it "makes Israelis reconsider whether to send their children to serve in the country as individual soldiers. Canada is becoming more hostile toward us every day," Ynet reported.