Ottawa calls for probe into demolished Canadian water treatment plant in Gaza

The Canadian government is «assessing the damage» at a demolished water treatment plant and facility in Gaza that it built 25 years ago, while asking Israel for a full and independent investigation into what occurred, the country's international development minister says.

«We have expressed our concern to the government of Israel and we've called for a credible, independent investigation into what happened to this particular facility,» said Ahmed Hussen said in an interview with CBC News.

«Any damage to structures that provide much-needed water and other supplies to civilians is completely unacceptable.»

Social media video began circulating on the weekend of explosives being laid down at the facility, known as the Canada Well, in Tel Sultan, a Rafah neighbourhood.

The video also showed an explosion levelling the well.

On Monday, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported the country's army, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) was looking into the demolition. Haaretz's story cited unnamed army sources in saying the facility was destroyed with the approval of a military commander, but not with the approval of senior IDF officers.

In a statement, Israel's embassy in Canada told CBC News Canada's request for an investigation is still being processed and examined in Israel.

Defends approach to Israel-Hamas conflict

Hussen also defended his government's policy positions on the latest conflict pitting Israel versus Hamas, including his own office's role in temporarily freezing funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) earlier this year.

• Trudeau non-committal about restoring funding to Palestinian relief agency UNRWA

That decision came amid allegations by the government of Israel that some of its employees took part in