Canadians with Families in Gaza Serve Canadian Government with Notice of Intention to Prosecute

For Immediate Release (Ottawa, ON) November 23, 2023 –

Today, a notice of intention to prosecute was served on Canadian government officials on behalf of a group of Canadian families with relatives in Gaza. These relatives have either been killed, injured, or displaced by the Israeli military since the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. The notice was served by Ottawa firm of Heed Law following testimonies shared by some of the Canadian families represented by the notice.

The purpose of this action is to hold accountable any Canadian official, located in Canada or abroad, where there is evidence that the person has been complicit in, or otherwise aided or abetted war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“Today, after more than six weeks of relentless and disproportionate military attacks on Gaza and its civilian population in which more than 14,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed – the vast majority of them women and children – and more than 35,000 Palestinian civilians have been injured. Canadian officials must not be complicit in direct or indirect support for the unprecedented civilian death toll as a consequence of violations of international law,” said Yavar Hameed, Lawyer at Hameed Law. “These include Canada’s material support and assistance to Israel in its offensive against Palestinian civilians.”

“Tragically, 16 members of my family, including my father, Naser, my mother, Nima and my sisters, Nisreen and Haneen, were all killed. It took seven days for my relatives to dig and pull dead bodies out from under the rubble with their bare hands,” Tamer,, one of the Canadian family members, noted earlier. Similar emotional testimonies were shared throughout the press conference by grieving and traumatized family members. Members in attendance included but were not limited to recent Canadian evacuees from Gaza, noting they are still deeply suffering from their distressing experience. Canadian government officials are aware of Israel’s violations of international law, including international criminal law, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law - and of Israel’s explicit intentions to perpetrate further crimes against Palestinians.

During a November 4 conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ‘reaffirmed the importance of upholding international humanitarian law and making every effort to protect Palestinian civilians.’

Yet, Canada has continued to provide support to Israel, including financial, military and intelligence support to Israeli authorities. The notice delivered today seeks to put Canadian government officials on notice to ultimately hold to account any violations of international law. The notice also requires government officials to take all steps necessary to facilitate the immediate evacuation of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents, and student visa holders stranded in Gaza, as well as to help to evacuate non-Canadian relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

To download and read the full letter to the PM and government officials, click here

For inquiries contact:

Yavar Hameed, LLB - Lawyer

Hameed Law

Phone: 613-627-2974

yhameed@hameedlaw.ca | hameedlaw.ca