Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada will impose sanctions on "extremist" Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territories, as well as on the leaders of Hamas.

In an interview on the Rosemary Barton Live program to be aired on Sunday, Joly said the government is "actively working on this" while she is on a tour in Ukraine, where she met with Ukrainian officials and visited sites affected by the ongoing war there.

Joly told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton: "We will impose sanctions on extremist settlers and also impose new sanctions on Hamas leaders."

She added, "I am making sure that while I am in Ukraine, the work is being carried out in Ottawa and I look forward to announcements soon."

For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada is considering the option of imposing restrictions on some Israelis living in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

He told reporters after an event in Waterloo, Ontario, that "settler violence in the West Bank is completely unacceptable and endangers peace and stability in the region, and the two-state solution that is very much needed."

Canada will follow in the footsteps of the United States, which announced this week a second round of sanctions against four individuals accused of inciting and carrying out acts of violence against Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement: "This violence poses a serious threat to peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the Middle East region, and threatens the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States."

Violence has increased in the Palestinian territories since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted due to Hamas-led attacks on October 7 that resulted in about 1,200 Israelis killed and about 250 hostages taken. Palestinian health officials say more than 26,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks there during the past nearly four months.

Joly told Barton that Canada remains committed to finding a way to end the fighting and work toward a long-term solution.

She said, "First and foremost, we need to get the hostage deal, the hostages must return and be released, we need more humanitarian aid in Gaza."

She added, "And we need to ensure that Hamas disarms, and this is the first step to ensure that ultimately we arrive at a path through which we can reach a longer truce, a sustainable ceasefire, and ultimately a path toward a bilateral agreement and a two-state solution."

This possibility appeared bleak during the months of war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly announced his rejection of the idea in January, provoking sharp criticism from Canada and its allies such as the United States. The U.S. State Department said this week it is considering options to recognize the Palestinian state following the war.

Joly said change is necessary on both sides to make lasting peace possible, "We need to reform the Palestinian Authority. We also need a government in Israel that is ready to do the important work to reach a two-state solution."