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HAMILTON, Canada

Canada's national police force has launched an investigation into possible war crimes linked to the "Israel-Hamas armed conflict," the Toronto Star reported.

The report Monday said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed the probe began quietly in early 2024 but did not provide details on what triggered it or what the investigation covers.

The case is described as a "structural investigation" by police, which falls “under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program (CAHWCP), a joint effort by the RCMP, Department of Justice, Canada Border Services Agency, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada."

RCMP's probe comes as Israel's devastating offensive in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has killed nearly 54,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine for the enclave's more than 2 million people.

Unlike Canada's highly visible investigation into war crimes in Ukraine, the report said the RCMP has not made public announcements or set up hotlines for the Gaza conflict.

Last week, Canada's Justice Department also told the Star that a "structural investigation" can be launched "when there is evidence that war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide have occurred or are occurring anywhere in the world, and where there is a specific immigration community in Canada — either on a temporary residence or permanent residence basis — which is sufficiently large so that the RCMP may gather the necessary evidence."

But the RCMP did not share further information to "uphold the integrity of this ongoing investigation."

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.