Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers are suing Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly over exports of military equipment to Israel, which they argue violate Canada’s obligations under domestic and international law.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asks a federal court to order the Canadian government to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology destined for Israel, Al Jazeera reported. 

It also asks the court to deem the issuance of such permits unlawful.

“We are seeking to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international legal obligations,” said Henry Off, board member of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), one of the groups involved in the case.

“We don’t want the Canadian government to be contributing to the mass starvation and bombardment of Gaza. One way of cutting off Canada’s contributions is by cutting off its military support [to Israel],” Off said. 

exports to Israel have come under greater scrutiny since October 7 when the Israeli military launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has now killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. Thousands of others are believed to be dead, buried under rubble.