After criticism, Ottawa pledges $1 million to support Hamas sexual-violence victims

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is pledging $1 million to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas in Israel during last October's attacks.

The funding comes with an offer of RCMP support for investigations three months after a group of women who hold political office in Canada called on Ottawa to provide this type of support.

Last week, a UN envoy said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Hamas committed rape and "sexualized torture" during the attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Israeli women's organizations have criticized their global peers for being slow to acknowledge sexual violence by Hamas, and Canada's envoy for combating antisemitism chalked that delay up to anti-Jewish attitudes.

However, Israeli police say forensic evidence was not preserved in the chaos of the attack, and Hamas killed many of the people who were believed to be victims of sexual assault.

Joly is in Israel as part of a tour of the Middle East to advocate for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas.