Canada exposed: Weapons still flowing to 'Israel' despite denials
7 Min Read
Tax filings and shipping data reveal Canada’s deep complicity in arming "Israel," contradicting Ottawa’s public stance and exposing its role in fueling Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
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A Lufthansa plane takes flight (AFP via Getty Images)
Commercial aircraft departing Toronto over the past six months are alleged to have transported military equipment and weapons parts to "Israel", alongside civilian passengers, Toronto Today reported, citing a new investigation by World Beyond War and the Palestinian Youth Movement.
The findings, based on commercial cargo and aviation data, suggest that despite federal assurances to the contrary, military exports from Canada to "Israel" have continued throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The report, published Tuesday, claims Canadian companies have shipped munitions and military components on both passenger and cargo planes, even after Ottawa’s public statements suggesting a freeze on such transfers.
🧵 BREAKING: CANADA IS ARMING GENOCIDE AND LYING TO CANADIANS
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) July 29, 2025
For nearly two years, the Canadian government has misled the public about its role in supplying weapons to Israel.⁰What they claimed - and what’s actually happening - are worlds apart.
⁰Let’s break it down ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dBUY4Ce0o8
The authors of the report argue that the data reveal only a partial picture of a much larger network of arms shipments that has persisted during the course of the genocide.
Among the commercial airlines named in the report are Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Air France, which are said to have transported military-related cargo to "Israel" amid the genocide.
Flight logs show military cargo linked to F-35 parts shipped to Israel
According to shipping records reviewed by researchers and shared with TorontoToday, 13 flights from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport over the past year allegedly carried cargo bound for "Israel", with eight of them also carrying passengers. Six of those flights were operated by Lufthansa, with stopovers in Frankfurt before continuing to Tel Aviv; the other two were run by Air France, with layovers in Paris.
The report specifies that these shipments included equipment sent to Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli defense manufacturer that supplies components for F-35 fighter jets, which have been widely used in committing harrowing massacres against Palestinians in Gaza.
2/⁰A major new investigation reveals the truth.
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) July 29, 2025
Authored by us & @WorldBeyondWar as part of the #ArmsEmbargoNow coalition, the report traces Canada’s direct role in enabling Israel’s war on Gaza.
From factories to ports to approvals - every level is complicit. pic.twitter.com/ChJmpffPTj
Rachel Small, the Canada coordinator for World Beyond War, said the findings indicate the federal government has “intentionally misled the public about arms sales to Israel.” She noted that despite Canadian government statements in early 2024 limiting such exports, “weapons parts continued to be shipped” via indirect arrangements, including through US-based defence firms.
In September 2024, under mounting pressure from civil society, then-foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly announced a halt to new arms export permits to "Israel". However, the new data suggests those restrictions have not prevented shipments from continuing.
Nearly half a million bullets exported since October 2023, researchers allege
In addition to analyzing cargo logs, researchers also examined Israeli import data. They concluded that since October 7, 2023, Canada has exported nearly 500,000 bullets to "Israel". One shipment in April 2025 alone contained approximately 175,000 rounds.
“I think this report exposes what must be one of the biggest propaganda campaigns in Canadian foreign policy in many decades,” Small told TorontoToday. She said it was “shocking” to find that military equipment was being transported under the feet of “unsuspecting passengers” on commercial flights.
Yara Shoufani, a Toronto-based organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said the public would be disturbed to learn that such shipments occurred on the same aircraft used by ordinary Canadians. “Canadians would not expect there could be weapons-related equipment in the cargo hold when they take a flight for a vacation or to see their families abroad,” she said. She accused the airlines involved of being “complicit” in the Israeli war on Gaza.
Commercial flight logs point to Elbit as the top recipient
The 13 Pearson-originating flights tracked in the report were capable of carrying between 325 and 370 passengers each. According to the data, all but one shipment was destined for Elbit Systems or its subsidiaries.
Small said her team used the cargo logs to trace the origin and destination of each shipment, including general descriptions of the contents. Lufthansa, when contacted by TorontoToday, declined to confirm the accuracy of the data, stating that it does not comment “on the nature or contents of customer shipments.”
“We strictly adhere to all applicable laws and regulations governing the transport of such goods,” Lufthansa spokesperson Bianca Becker said. “Furthermore, dangerous goods are prohibited on passenger flights.”
Requests for comment sent to Air Canada and Air France by TorontoToday also received no immediate response.
Alleged shipments include ammunition, radar systems, aircraft parts
The report also alleges that flights from Canadian cities have also included shipments of military technology, such as radar systems, testing equipment for aircraft, in addition to the ammunition cartridges.
Three separate flights from Montreal, for instance, are said to have carried “cartridges” manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a defence firm with facilities in Canada. The company’s own website refers to such cartridges as ammunition for both firearms and tanks. TorontoToday reached out to General Dynamics OTS but did not receive a reply before publication.
Elbit Systems was the most frequently named recipient across the logs. Two Toronto flights in particular were said to have transported materials from Markham-based Nexeya Test Solutions to Elbit. These materials, the report claims, are used to test the electronic systems of F-35 fighter jets.
Company confirms shipments to Israel via commercial flights
Kenny Ade, logistics coordinator at Nexeya Test Solutions, confirmed in an interview that he personally arranged two shipments to Elbit Systems using Lufthansa flights departing from Toronto. He said one of the flights was passenger-carrying, the other cargo-only.
Ade stated that the company has not faced scrutiny from the federal government over its shipments to "Israel". The only exception, he said, came during a temporary disruption in June 2025, when air traffic to "Israel" was halted amid heightened tensions with Iran. He confirmed that Nexeya routinely uses commercial carriers for its international shipments.
Advocates renew calls for arms embargo
While Small acknowledged that not all military items shipped to Elbit Systems are guaranteed to be used directly in Gaza, she said it would be “preposterous” to suggest none have contributed to "Israel’s" military campaign, given Elbit’s central role as a defence supplier.
She renewed calls for Canada to impose a “true arms embargo” on "Israel", arguing that the government must move beyond partial restrictions and “fully block” the export and import of all military-related goods. The demand is backed by more than 450 organizations participating in the Arms Embargo Now campaign, including unions, religious groups, and environmental activists.
Responding to the allegations, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson John Babcock stated via email that “since January 8, 2024, there have been no new permit approvals for items to Israel that could be used in the current conflict in Gaza,” and that “all permits suspended in 2024 remain suspended.”
He further alleged that the cartridges mentioned in the report were training materials. “GAC understands that the shipments of cartridges referenced in the recent report are for non-controlled training cartridges (paintball-type items) and related equipment to allow law enforcement and others to train safely with firearms,” he said.
Babcock also noted that some items may fall under harmonized system (HS) codes typically used for offensive military equipment, though they may serve non-combat purposes. He claimed that the department is currently reviewing the remaining shipments identified in the report to determine whether they fall under similar exemptions.
This development unfolds as Gaza endures relentless and harrowing massacres amid a worsening famine. The humanitarian toll continues to escalate, with the death toll now surpassing 60,000 people and injuries reported at more than 146,000. Civilians, many of them children, are bearing the brunt of the devastation, as food, medicine, and basic necessities remain critically scarce under the ongoing blockade and bombardment.
