More than 380 Canadians, including two federal MPs, have joined a hunger strike campaign aimed at urging Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to suspend arms shipments to Israel as the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip approaches 25,000 after three and a half months of war.

The campaign was publicly announced yesterday, but it actually started on December 20 at the initiative of Nadine Nasser, a 40-year-old woman of Palestinian origin living in Toronto. Until yesterday, 382 people had joined the campaign, including the leader of the Canadian Green Party, Member of Parliament Elizabeth May, and her colleague from the New Democratic Party (left-leaning), MP Niki Ashton, according to the organization of the "Hunger Strike for Gaza" campaign, which is "open".

Nasser says, "Each person can choose the number of days of the hunger strike they want to undertake, according to what their health condition allows." Some participants, like MPs May and Ashton, committed to a one-day hunger strike as a sign of solidarity. The longest commitment taken so far is 32 days. "I will join the hunger strike for Gaza, and I know that many people across Canada will do the same."

Ashton said in a message, "We also call for action: impose an arms embargo on Israel. Canada must stop exporting weapons to Israel from now on," added Ashton, who represents a district in Manitoba in central western Canada in the House of Commons.

She added, "We are desperate and our government is not listening to us. Canada continues to deliver weapons to Israel used to kill Palestinians. It seems that nothing else has worked, neither protests, petitions, nor messages directed at MPs."
Nadine Nasser, organizer of the "Hunger Strike for Gaza" campaign, said, "I felt deprived of my rights."
Nasser added, who works in the humanitarian sector and is choked with grief, "I cannot stop thinking about the children, who resemble my children and are killed every day."

Several organizations responded to Nasser’s call, including the anti-war organization "World Beyond War," "Voice of Women / La voix des femmes," and "Voices of Independent Jews" (VJI / IJV).
"Participants in the campaign come from different backgrounds, origins, and ages," says Nasser, "there is even a nun supporting us, in addition to teachers and students."

Nasser confirms that her movement intends to attract other MPs, including Liberal MPs, to support the hunger strike campaign she launched.

The Canadian Global Affairs Ministry did not respond to a question about whether Canada is considering suspending arms shipments to Israel.

A ministry spokesperson said in November that Canada "has one of the strictest export control systems in the world," adding that "all license applications for controlled goods or technologies are considered on a case-by-case basis under a rigorous risk assessment."

According to its own law, the Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA), and the international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which Canada joined in 2019, Ottawa "cannot" issue licenses to export "weapons, ammunition, or war materials" if there is a serious risk that they would be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international law.