An Ontario union may ban Israeli academics from teaching or speaking at the province's universities unless they condemn the current military action in the Gaza Strip, according to the Globe and Mail, sparking a fierce debate.

The newspaper says the Ontario arm of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will introduce the proposal in a meeting next month.

It will call for "a ban on Israeli academics doing speaking, teaching or research work at Ontario universities" if they support Israel's military action.

The proposal was drafted after a Dec. 29 attack on an Islamic university in Gaza, which Israel claimed was connected to Hamas.

"Attacking an institution of learning is just beyond the pale," the Globe quoted CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan as saying. "They deliberately targeted an institution of learning. That's what the Nazis did."

Comparing Israel to the Nazi regime, and potentially moving to censor Israeli academics, infuriated Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

He said the university may have been used by Hamas to store weapons, and it has not been confirmed either way.

"What happened at the university still is in question. Was it a place where arms are being stored?" he told the Globe. "Anyone who compares Jews and Nazis really enters into the dark realm of anti-Semitism. Mr. Ryan should be absolutely ashamed of himself."

The latest Middle East conflict began on Dec. 27 when Israel retaliated against Hamas rocket attacks, which had intensified after the end of a truce agreement.

More than a week later, Gaza health officials report 550 people have been killed, of which an estimated 200 were civilians. About 2,500 have been wounded. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israeli border towns.

The United Nations has called on both sides to stop fighting, and there is mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.