IDF Rebukes Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand: “Israel Is Attacked on Seven Fronts Yet Called The Aggressor”

Israel’s military is pushing back forcefully against harsh criticism from Canada’s new foreign minister, Anita Anand, who accused Israel of “aggression” and “using food as a political tool” in its war against Hamas. Anand’s remarks, delivered shortly after her swearing-in, focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and cited casualty figures provided by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while making little mention of the October 7 massacre or Hamas’s ongoing campaign of terror.

In a pointed rebuttal, IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told Canadian reporters in Tel Aviv, “Israel is the only country in the world that could be attacked on seven fronts and described as being the aggressor.” Shoshani listed Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, the Houthis, and other hostile actors as the seven fronts Israel faces. He emphasized that Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to minimize civilian casualties, often issuing warnings before strikes so civilians can evacuate. “When we say we take steps to minimize harm to civilians, this is what we mean,” Shoshani said, referencing recent IDF warnings before strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Shoshani also challenged Anand’s reliance on Hamas casualty figures, noting that the numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and that Hamas routinely manipulates statistics for propaganda purposes. He underscored that Israel’s campaign is a direct response to the brutal October 7 attack, in which 1,200 people, including women, children, the elderly, and at least eight Canadian citizens, were murdered by Hamas terrorists.

Anand’s comments have drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel voices in Canada and abroad, who see her focus on Israeli “aggression” as a strategic blunder and a signal of dangerous moral equivalence. Critics point out that, historically, Canada has stood firmly with democratic allies against terror, and that Anand’s omission of Hamas’s atrocities represents a troubling departure from principled diplomacy.

While Anand later tweeted that Canada’s position includes demanding Hamas release all hostages, lay down its weapons, and play no future role in Gaza, the IDF and Israeli officials remain concerned that such public criticism from a close ally only emboldens Israel’s enemies and distorts the reality of a conflict imposed on Israel from multiple directions.

As international pressure mounts and Western leaders threaten sanctions, Israel’s message is clear: it will not apologize for defending its citizens on multiple fronts, nor accept being cast as the aggressor in a war it did not start.