Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Monday that Canada will ultimately support an accountability system to investigate Israeli military conduct during its war against Hamas.

Joly also called for an end to the violence in Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. She added that Canada is still considering different versions of an expected ceasefire resolution that the United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote on Tuesday.

Following the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, the Canadian government has consistently said it supports Israel's right to defend itself according to international law.

On Monday, David Cochrane, host of Power & Politics, asked Joly how Canada views the Israeli military campaign against Hamas in light of aid groups saying Israel is violating international law and the rising death toll inside Gaza.

"I think that at the core of our foreign policy since World War II has been Israel’s right to exist, which is fundamental, and at the same time protecting civilians," Joly said, adding that there are clearly tensions between those two priorities at the moment. "And ultimately, of course, we will support any form of accountability mechanisms... at the international level that will look into this issue."

The Gaza health authority – controlled by Hamas, a terrorist entity proscribed in Canada – reported on Monday that more than 18,200 Gaza residents have been killed since October 7. The authority does not break down the number of deaths between civilian and military fighters.

Also in November, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes. He pointed to the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 and what he called the collective punishment imposed by Israel on Palestinian civilians.

Israel denies violating international law and says its military does not intentionally target civilians. Israel has said that Hamas endangers civilians by operating outside civilian infrastructure such as hospitals or schools.

Will Canada vote for a ceasefire at the United Nations?

The United Nations General Assembly is likely to vote on Tuesday on a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

This follows the United States' decision on Friday to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

In October, Canada abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate, lasting, and sustainable humanitarian truce after it failed to amend the resolution to include a clear condemnation of the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas.