Nearly all Canadians on Gaza-bound flotilla detained by Israeli military: organizer

Nearly all the Canadian activists who were on a Gaza-bound flotilla aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Palestinian territory have been detained, organizers said Monday.

Global Sumud Canada, the Canadian chapter of the Global Sumud Flotilla movement, said 12 Canadians were among 500 activists aboard 54 boats that set sail from Turkey on Thursday.

On Monday, the group said Israel Defense Forces members intercepted the activists’ mission, detaining 319 people, including 11 Canadians, nearly 500 kilometres from Gaza’s shores. The remaining Canadian, Shahid Mahmood, an Ontarian, was making his way to Gaza on a boat that wasn’t intercepted as of Monday.

Mahmood, who spoke to The Canadian Press from one of the boats, said the Canadian contingent agreed to go on hunger strike if they were detained. He said the group lost contact with those who were detained.

The flotilla organizers have said the mission is trying to draw attention to the grim conditions for Palestinians living in the war-battered territory.

Safa Chebbi, one of the detained Canadians and a spokesperson for the group, said in a previous statement that they chose a hunger strike to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians “enduring confinement, arbitrary detention, and prison violence for decades in almost total silence.”

“Our responsibility is to use every possible platform to break this silence and continue to place Palestine at the centre of this struggle,” Chebbi said.

Global Affairs Canada acknowledged a request for comment from The Canadian Press, but hasn’t yet provided one.

Global Sumud Canada said the government agency has also not responded to its inquiries either.

Unlike previous interceptions, which mostly took place under the cover of night, the Israeli military boarded the boats in broad daylight.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s livestream showed activists aboard several vessels putting on life-jackets and raising their hands as a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. The livestream abruptly ended after the military members, wearing tactical gear, got closer to the activists.

Other footage showed Israeli forces instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat.

Many of the ships that haven’t been intercepted are currently off the coast of Cyprus.

The flotilla interceptions occurred outside Cypriot territorial waters. Israeli authorities had not asked for any assistance in the interception, according to a Cypriot official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Israel notified Cyprus that all people aboard the intercepted flotilla boats are in good health, the official added.

An hour before the interception, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called on activists to “change course and turn back immediately.”

“Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called ‘humanitarian aid flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the ongoing operation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, watching the operation from a military headquarters in Tel Aviv, commended the soldiers for “thwarting a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we are imposing on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”

Netanyahu was supposed to be in court on Monday to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, but requested a cancellation due to all-day security meetings.

Hamas has condemned Israel’s attack on the flotilla as a “full-fledged crime of piracy.” The militant group called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its blockade.

Turkey echoed Hamas’ piracy accusation and called on Israel to immediately halt the operation and release the flotilla participants.

The latest action comes just weeks after Israeli forces intercepted about 20 boats from the flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete. Some 175 activists were initially detained, including two Canadians who were released shortly afterward.

Israel took two of the non-Canadian activists back to Israel in that interception, where they were interrogated and detained for several days. The activists accused Israeli forces of torture, which Israel denied. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens. The two were deported from Israel after about a week in detention.

Organizers say the latest efforts involved a regrouped fleet joined by additional boats.

Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, a year after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections.

Israel has said the blockade, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, was meant to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out of Gaza.

–with files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press