When Nati Hubberman was given back his phone in March after weeks of reserve duty on Israel’s northern front, he was inundated with messages from friends about a website he’d never heard of.
“People were texting me saying, ‘Watch out, your name is on it,’” he said. “It” was FindIDFSoldiers.net, a site created in February by Davide Mastracci, a Canadian journalist who has harshly criticized Israel, accusing it of orchestrating a “planned genocide in Gaza.”
Mastracci, an editor for an outlet called the Maple, aimed to identify Canadians who had fought for the Israel Defense Forces, either during the current war or previously. At the time, Hubberman said, the exposure felt disturbing but marginal.
Then, in June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that it had opened an investigation into “matters related to the Israel-Hamas armed conflict,” with the possibility of uncovering “a perpetrator of core international crimes — such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.”
In previous years, the RCMP has conducted similar investigations relating to crimes against or by Canadians in the context of other foreign conflicts, including in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. But this is the first time Canadian authorities have launched a war crimes-related probe connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a development that has generated particular anxiety within Canada’s Jewish community, which has documented a rise in antisemitism since the October 7, 2023, attack.
The RCMP stated that its investigation wasn’t focused on “any community or group.” But to Hubberman and others, the target appeared clear: Canadian IDF soldiers.
“It was scary,” said Hubberman, a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen from Toronto. “A lot of us asked ourselves: Is it safe for me to fly to Canada? Will I be arrested at the border?”
Another Canadian IDF reservist on the list, who preferred to be referred to as N. because he feared legal consequences, decided not to take the chance.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, N. has spent nearly 300 days on reserve duty, mostly in Gaza, since the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023. Now, he and Hubberman are part of a cohort of Canadian-Israeli soldiers grappling with the fallout of Ottawa’s unprecedented probe. The investigation has alarmed and confused them, along with other Canadian Jews, at a time of rising antisemitism and tense relations between Ottawa and Jerusalem.
“I was supposed to go to Canada last week,” N. told The Times of Israel in July. “But after the investigation was announced, I felt afraid to go home.”
The RCMP issued its sole statement on the matter on June 4, saying that it is conducting a “structural investigation” — an intelligence-gathering effort linked to Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.
The agency said the probe began in early 2024 and is not a criminal investigation. As of the publication of the statement, no charges had been filed. The force added that the investigation is “solely focused on collecting relevant information and does not target any community or group.”
But the statement said the force had a “mandate under Canadian law, to assess credible allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity” — and did not rule out future prosecution.
“Should a perpetrator of core international crimes — such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity — with the appropriate nexus to Canada be identified,” the statement read, “the RCMP will initiate a separate criminal investigation.”
The RCMP has not published any more information about what it is investigating or the specific allegations involved. When approached by The Times of Israel for comment, the agency declined to provide further details.
News of the investigation prompted anxiety among Jews in Canada, with Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador, telling the Canadian Jewish News that he was “flabbergasted” and “concerned” by media reports on the probe. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a leading Canadian Jewish organization, likewise called reports of the investigation “deeply concerning.”
But in the weeks since, Canadian Jewish leaders have been told that Canadian-Israeli soldiers are not under criminal investigation — and that the initiative began with a focus on Hamas’s crimes.
“There was a lot of misleading information when it first broke,” said David Cooper, CIJA’s vice president of government relations. “People thought this was a targeted investigation into IDF soldiers — it’s not.”
Cooper said CIJA has been in regular contact with the RCMP, which he said has “confirmed to us on multiple occasions” that no criminal investigation is currently underway.
He added that the RCMP’s involvement began with “investigations into Canadians that were murdered by Hamas” — a focus CIJA has urged the Canadian government to maintain.
“Hamas’ atrocities are well documented, including the murder of multiple Canadian civilians in Israel,” read a statement by Noah Shack, CIJA’s interim president, on the day of the RCMP announcement. He encouraged “anyone who has information on Hamas’ crimes against humanity — including murder, torture, sexual violence, and abduction — to submit this evidence to the RCMP’s portal once in place.”
Shack added, “Any suggestion that Israeli-Canadians should be targeted for their service — particularly in a war of self-defence waged by a close ally of Canada — not only represents a cynical distortion of the law, but fuels the violent hatred faced by Israelis and Jews in North America.”
Tensions between Jerusalem and Ottawa have also escalated in recent months. In May, Canada joined the United Kingdom and France in threatening “concrete actions” if Israel refused to stop the war in Gaza and allow in more aid. Canada has also instituted a halt to arms sales to Israel and has voted against it in the United Nations.
‘There are protests outside my parents’ synagogue’
“It wasn’t like this when I was a kid. Canada was a great place. Antisemitism was nominal,” Hubberman said. “Now, there are protests outside my parents’ synagogue.”
This sense of change was echoed by Dov Niedzviecki, who moved to Israel in 2014 from Thornhill, Ontario, to serve in the army.
“The part that got to me was just the safety and security of my parents,” Niedzviecki said. “I don’t tell anyone that I’m Israeli when I’m back in Canada. You just avoid it.”
At least one Canadian-Israeli soldier has sought legal representation from Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, the former head of the IDF’s military prosecution in the West Bank.
While he declined to comment on the specifics of his client’s case, Hirsch warned that the broader trend signaled by the RCMP probe raises serious concerns regarding Canadian-Israeli relations.
“I’m not surprised by the investigation,” said Hirsh, who is now director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. “It seems to be the continuation of a stance that the government of Canada has adopted: while feigning friendly relations with Israel, they are simultaneously accusing Israeli soldiers of war crimes.”
If the Canadian government does begin investigating specific IDF soldiers, it will join a growing list of countries where such investigations have been initiated. As of January, the Foreign Ministry identified at least 12 legal complaints targeting Israeli soldiers over alleged war crimes in Gaza, filed in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland, and Cyprus, according to Hebrew media reports.
In most of those cases, the soldiers under investigation were Israeli nationals traveling abroad, not citizens of the countries pursuing the complaints. By contrast, the RCMP investigation referred to an “appropriate nexus to Canada,” potentially meaning either those who committed crimes against Canadians or Canadian citizens who may have themselves committed crimes during the Israel-Hamas war.
As of January, the Foreign Ministry identified at least 12 legal complaints targeting Israeli soldiers over alleged war crimes in Gaza, filed in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland, and Cyprus
Most of the complaints in other countries have not led to investigations, and none have resulted in arrests, but they have raised diplomatic concerns in Jerusalem.
One of the groups fueling the investigations is the Hind Rajab Foundation, which tracks IDF soldiers abroad, collects open-source material and submits legal complaints to foreign governments, often in countries where probes have been opened, though not in Canada. Dyab Abou Jahjah, one of the organization’s leaders, trained decades ago with Hezbollah, according to The New York Times.
In January, a reservist who had survived the Nova music festival massacre was urged by Israeli authorities to leave Brazil after the country’s Federal Court ordered police to open a war crimes investigation against him, according to Brazilian media reports. A month earlier, another Israeli soldier quietly fled Cyprus under similar circumstances, after the Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint against him with the International Criminal Court.
“In some cases, it seems that simply being in Gaza at the time is being treated as grounds for suspicion,” Hirsch said. “That has no precedent whatsoever. You will find no tribunal that would charge a soldier under that definition, just for being a member of the armed forces.”
He added that the accusations against IDF soldiers rely heavily on open-source material — media reports, social media posts, and politically motivated NGO findings, often taken out of context.
“If Canada is signalling a willingness to rely on social media evidence and NGO reports as a basis for criminal investigations, that should concern anyone who cares about due process,” Hirsch warned.
The Israeli government has been notably silent on the RCMP investigation, with the Foreign Ministry offering little overt support to affected soldiers.
The IDF told The Times of Israel that while it strives to support its soldiers as much as possible, matters involving soldiers abroad fall primarily under the Foreign Ministry’s jurisdiction.
In turn, the Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel that it considers these matters to be solely the responsibility of the IDF — a stance that has raised eyebrows, given the significant international legal and diplomatic implications.
‘Israel sings the praises of lone soldiers, but once they finish their service, if they return to their home countries, they’re on their own’
This is especially puzzling, given the international legal and diplomatic stakes and the fact that in January, Haaretz reported that a joint desk has been set up by the Military Advocate General, the Foreign Ministry, the National Security Council, and the Shin Bet to assess legal threats to soldiers abroad.
“Almost every day, Israel sings the praises of lone soldiers,” Hirsch said, “but once they finish their service, if they return to their home countries, they’re on their own. Who do they call? Their commanders? They’re 22 years old. They have no way of navigating this.”
N. said he sought legal counsel after failing to get any kind of support from Israeli authorities. He contacted the Foreign Ministry and said he knew other soldiers had done so too, but received no response.
“Nobody cares,” he said. “Until a soldier is arrested, no governmental body is going to do anything about it.”
‘Nobody cares. Until a soldier is arrested, no governmental body is going to do anything about it’
Still, Hirsch believes prosecutions in Canada are unlikely.
“War crimes require a systematic policy of attacking civilians. That is not what the IDF is doing. Professionally and objectively evaluated, I don’t think there is a prosecution in the world that could come to a different conclusion,” he said.
He added that if soldiers engage in unlawful behavior, the Israeli military justice system investigates and prosecutes legitimate cases of misconduct.
Hubberman’s father, a lawyer who has worked with the RCMP, reassured him that the RCMP agency conducting the investigation had never made an arrest and that the probe is largely a political show.
But rather than feeling relieved, Hubberman said it only underscores a deeper shift taking place in the country of his birth — where he feels that he is increasingly seen as a criminal on par with those who committed the atrocities of October 7.
‘What’s most upsetting is that they could be investigating me as if we’re the same as Hamas or other terror organizations’
“What’s most upsetting is that they could be investigating me as if we’re the same as Hamas or other terror organizations,” he said. “It hurts. It feels like a betrayal.”
For Canadian-Israeli soldiers caught in the fray, the legal uncertainties prompt feelings of abandonment by both their country of birth and the country they’ve chosen to serve. But there is also a firm resolve.
“I know what I did when I was in Gaza,” N. said. “I followed the code of conduct. If someone wants to interrogate me, I’m happy to sit and answer as many questions as they want.”