Activists call on feds to put pressure on Israel over treatment of Gaza aid flotilla

OTTAWA — Canadian activists detained by Israel last month while taking part in an aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza say Canada isn’t doing enough to call out treatment by Israeli officials that Ottawa has called appalling.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand have both called on Israel to launch an independent investigation into how Israeli officials treated the activists, who said they were beaten, deprived of essentials and forced into painful positions.

Activist flotillas have repeatedly tried to reach the Gaza Strip to draw attention to tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies reaching Palestinians.

Israel has intercepted these boats, often in international waters.

The flotillas gained global attention recently when Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video of himself taunting activists who were detained by the police force he oversees.

Carney and Anand have said the dozen Canadians on the flotilla faced “appalling” conditions and were denied consular services, but two of those activists said Wednesday that Ottawa must ramp up pressure on Israel.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press