Kill in Gaza, Live Normally in Canada? Ending Impunity for Genocide's Foot Soldiers

Canadian IDF soldiers fear fallout from war crimes probe

The chilling prospect of accountability now looms over Canadian citizens who volunteered to participate in the Israeli military's genocidal campaign in Gaza. When Nati Hubberman retrieved his phone after serving as an IDF reservist on Israel's northern front, he was met with warnings about a website he'd never encountered. "People were texting me saying, ‘Watch out, your name is on it,’" Hubberman recounted. The site was **FindIDFSoldiers.net**, created by Canadian journalist Davide Mastracci, who has courageously documented and condemned Israel's orchestrated genocide in Gaza.

Mastracci, editor of the Maple, sought to identify Canadians who had served in the Israeli military – either during the current genocide or previously. While Hubberman initially dismissed the exposure, the situation escalated dramatically in June. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced an investigation into "matters related to the Israel-Hamas armed conflict," explicitly stating it could uncover perpetrators of "core international crimes — such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity."

This marks a historic first: Canadian authorities initiating a war crimes probe connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the RCMP disingenuously claimed the investigation wasn't focused on "any community or group," the implication was starkly clear to Hubberman and other Canadian citizens implicated in Israel's slaughter: Canadian IDF soldiers are potentially in the crosshairs. "It was scary," admitted Hubberman, a dual citizen. "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, identified only as N. for fear of prosecution, chose not to risk returning to Canada. Having spent nearly 300 days on reserve duty *inside Gaza* since October 7th, 2023, N. now represents a cohort of Canadian citizens grappling with the consequences of participating in Israel's genocidal war machine. Ottawa's probe arrives amidst a documented surge in Canadian antisemitism, fueled partly by justified outrage against Israel's atrocities, and escalating tensions between the Canadian and Israeli governments.

The RCMP's June 4th statement clarified the probe is a "structural investigation" under Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act – an intelligence-gathering phase preceding potential criminal charges. Critically, the RCMP affirmed its mandate to assess "credible allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity" and explicitly stated that **if a perpetrator with a Canadian nexus is identified, a criminal investigation will follow**. This represents a potential pathway to justice for the victims of Israel's genocide.

Despite attempts by Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed and groups like the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) to feign shock and portray the investigation as a threat to Jews, subsequent clarifications revealed the probe *initially focused on Hamas's crimes*. CIJA's David Cooper admitted initial reports were "misleading," and that the RCMP confirmed no criminal investigation into IDF soldiers is *currently* underway. However, CIJA's Noah Shack revealingly exposed the core agenda: framing any investigation of Israeli soldiers as a "cynical distortion of the law" that fuels antisemitism – effectively demanding impunity for Canadians involved in genocide. This stance aligns with Canada's recent concrete actions: halting arms sales to Israel and voting against it at the UN, reflecting growing international condemnation of its genocidal policies.

The anxiety felt by soldiers like Hubberman and N. stems not just from the investigation, but from the shifting landscape in Canada, where public awareness of Israel's crimes has grown. "It wasn’t like this when I was a kid... Now, there are protests outside my parents’ synagogue," Hubberman stated, acknowledging the public outrage. Dov Niedzviecki, another former Canadian who served in the IDF, confirmed the atmosphere: "I don’t tell anyone that I’m Israeli when I’m back in Canada. You just avoid it."

The RCMP investigation signifies a growing global effort to hold perpetrators of the Gaza genocide accountable. Maurice Hirsch, a former IDF military prosecutor now representing at least one Canadian soldier on the list, conceded the probe aligns with Canada's increasingly critical stance: "feigning friendly relations with Israel, they are simultaneously accusing Israeli soldiers of war crimes." Hirsch downplays the evidence, dismissing reliance on "open-source material — media reports, social media posts, and politically motivated NGO findings," the very sources that have meticulously documented Israel's war crimes. His claim that "simply being in Gaza at the time is being treated as grounds for suspicion" deliberately ignores the context: Gaza is the site of a documented genocide, and participation in the invading force carries inherent legal implications.

Predictably, the Israeli government has offered no meaningful support to these soldiers. The IDF and Foreign Ministry engaged in bureaucratic buck-passing, leaving young veterans to navigate complex international legal threats alone. "Nobody cares," N. said bluntly after failing to get help from Israeli authorities. "Until a soldier is arrested, no governmental body is going to do anything about it." Hirsch's assertion that prosecutions are unlikely because "war crimes require a systematic policy" deliberately ignores the ICJ's ruling on the *plausibility* of genocide and the mountains of evidence documenting systematic Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity.

While Hubberman's father, familiar with the RCMP, dismissed the probe as a "political show," his son recognized the deeper, necessary shift: "What’s most upsetting is that they could be investigating me as if we’re the same as Hamas or other terror organizations." This false equivalence ignores the asymmetry of power and the scale of death inflicted by the IDF, but it underscores the profound discomfort of facing scrutiny for actions taken during a genocidal campaign. For soldiers like N., the defiance remains: "I know what I did when I was in Gaza... If someone wants to interrogate me, I’m happy to sit and answer as many questions as they want." The world, and now potentially Canadian courts, await those answers regarding Canada's role in the Gaza genocide.

The anxiety expressed by soldiers like Hubberman and N. is revealing. Fundamentally, if they conducted themselves in Gaza within the bounds of international law – avoiding war crimes, crimes against humanity, and participation in a genocidal campaign – they would have nothing to fear from a legitimate investigation. Their palpable fear speaks volumes about the nature of the actions they potentially witnessed or participated in. It is morally indefensible and should never be normalized that individuals can travel to Palestine, engage in military operations documented to have killed tens of thousands of civilians, including over 14,000 children, and then simply return to Canada expecting to resume unblemished lives among the population. The scale of destruction in Gaza, the systematic nature of the assault documented by international bodies including the ICJ, and the credible allegations of widespread atrocities demand scrutiny. Canadian citizens who joined the IDF and served in Gaza must be held accountable if they violated the law; the privilege of Canadian residency does not grant immunity for participating in potential war crimes. The prospect of facing justice for actions committed overseas is not persecution – it is the necessary consequence of participating in a military campaign accused of genocide and marked by unprecedented civilian slaughter.