- Canada’s RCMP has been investigating potential Israeli war crimes in Gaza since early 2024 but only confirmed the probe publicly this week.
- The investigation coincides with outrage over a U.S.-backed aid program linked to over 100 Palestinian deaths, with witnesses alleging Israeli forces fired on civilians.
- The RCMP’s secretive probe operates under Canada’s war crimes program but lacks public outreach, unlike similar investigations into Russia.
- Critics accuse the aid program of enforcing displacement, with reports of biometric screening and lethal violence near distribution sites.
- Canada’s PM condemned Israel’s offensive, but the RCMP’s delayed transparency raises questions about political reluctance.
Canada’s federal police force has been investigating potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza since early 2024 but only confirmed the probe publicly this week, amid mounting civilian deaths linked to a controversial U.S.-Israeli aid program.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) classified the inquiry as a “structural investigation,” designed to document violations and preserve evidence, even as critics accuse Israel of orchestrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing under the guise of counterterrorism.
The revelation comes as outrage erupts over the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed aid initiative that has left at least 102 Palestinians dead and 500 injured in just eight days, many of them starving civilians shot while scrambling for food. Witnesses describe scenes of chaos as Israeli forces allegedly fired into crowds, while U.S.-contracted mercenaries abandoned distribution sites, leaving desperate families exposed to further violence.
A silent investigation surfaces
The RCMP’s probe, first reported by the Toronto Star, operates under Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, which allows authorities to investigate atrocities committed abroad if evidence emerges and a relevant immigrant community exists in Canada. Yet unlike high-profile war crimes inquiries, such as those targeting Russian actions in Ukraine, this investigation was launched without public announcements, hotlines, or outreach campaigns.
In a terse written statement, the RCMP confirmed it was examining “allegations from all parties involved with impartiality” but refused further details, citing the need to protect the investigation’s integrity. Legal experts note such cases rarely reach Canadian courts, but the mere existence of the probe signals growing global scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where over 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have reportedly been killed since October 2023.
Weaponized aid or population control?
The timing of the RCMP’s confirmation is striking, coinciding with international condemnation of the GHF, a program critics say is less about humanitarian relief and more about enforcing displacement. Launched on May 27 after months of near-total blockade, the GHF bypasses the United Nations and other neutral agencies, instead funneling aid through militarized “sterile zones” where Palestinians must submit to biometric screening.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and former UN officials have blasted the scheme as dehumanizing and ineffective, with some accusing it of violating international law. The resignations of GHF CEO Jake Wood, who cited the impossibility of upholding “humanitarian principles,” further fueled suspicions.
Meanwhile, the death toll climbs. On May 29, Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on crowds near a distribution site in Rafah, killing 11 and injuring dozens. Survivors described scenes of panic as families fled under gunfire.
Canada’s diplomatic tightrope
Despite Canada’s historical alignment with Israel, Prime Minister Mark Carney joined the leaders of France and the U.K. last month in condemning Israel’s “wholly disproportionate” offensive and demanding an immediate ceasefire. The joint statement also rebuked Israeli officials for “abhorrent language” advocating the forced displacement of Gazans in a stance at odds with Ottawa’s quiet police investigation.
Legal scholars suggest the RCMP’s findings could bolster international accountability efforts, although skeptics warn Canada’s delayed transparency hints at political reluctance. Nevertheless, the RCMP’s covert war crimes investigation, paired with the GHF’s lethal failures, exposes a sad reality: Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe is not collateral damage but a foreseeable outcome of policies that prioritize control over compassion.
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