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
Hameed 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
