ISTANBUL
Canada on Saturday reaffirmed its ban on military exports that could be used in Gaza, rejecting claims in a July 29 report suggesting that arms still flow to Israel from Canada.
“Canada has drawn, and will continue to draw, a hard line: since January 2024, we have refused any new permits for controlled goods that could be used in Gaza. Not one has been approved.
“We went further by freezing all existing permits in 2024 that could have allowed military components to be used in Gaza, and those permits remain suspended today," the country's Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a statement.
The law clearly prohibits any company from exporting controlled goods without a valid permit, Anand stated, adding that the Canadian officials will make sure those who break it will face legal consequences, including fines, seizures, and criminal charges.
"We will not allow Canadian-made weapons" to contribute to this conflict in any form, she highlighted.
After reviewing the July 29, 2025 report, the Canadian Foreign Ministry concluded that several of the report's claims "are misleading and significantly misrepresent the facts," Anand said.
"The items identified as ‘bullets’ are in fact paintball-style projectiles. They are accompanied by equipment designed to make a firearm inoperable with traditional rounds.
"These cannot be used in combat, and if they were, they would require a permit that would not be granted," she stated.
No mortars have been sent from Canadian manufacturers to Israel—directly or indirectly—since before the suspension of permits, she noted.
In the July 29 report, researchers from four NGOs—including World Beyond War, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and Independent Jewish Voices—uncovered data from the Israel Tax Authority showing Canadian goods labeled as military weapon parts and ammunition continuing to enter Israel.
At a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement said the findings reveal Canada’s ongoing material support for Israel despite government denials.
The activists also obtained commercial shipping documents confirming the transfer of ammunition and military equipment from Canadian companies to Israel.