Six Canadians are among the activists detained by Israel after its military intercepted boats off the coast of Cyprus that were part of a mission aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, Canadian flotilla organizers said Monday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said five of its Canadian members and one from the Freedom Flotilla that is part of the same mission have been detained in an ongoing interception 250 nautical miles (463 kilometres) from the shores of Gaza.
The group identified the detained Canadians as Safa Chebbi, a grassroots political organizer from Montreal; Omar Shaban, an engineer and organizer in sustainable agriculture from Toronto; Ko Tinmaung, an organizer and activist from Toronto; Sebastian Tow, a community organizer from Vancouver; Michael France, a boat technician and activist from Vancouver; and Norrad Bouzide, a harm reduction worker and advocate from Toronto.
In total, 12 Canadians are part of some 500 activists involved in the mission, which saw more than 50 vessels depart from the port in Marmaris, Turkey, last week, the group said.
Organizers with the Global Sumud Flotilla have described it as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores to draw attention to the grim conditions for Palestinians living in the war-battered territory.
Shahid Mahmood, an Ontarian who spoke to The Canadian Press from one of the Global Sumud Flotilla boats, said the Canadian contingent agreed to go on hunger strike if they were detained. He said the group had lost contact with those who were detained.
Chebbi, one of the detained Canadians and a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement that they chose a hunger strike not to elicit sympathy for themselves, but 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, but hasn’t yet provided one.
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 before a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. Wearing tactical gear, they boarded the ship, and the livestream abruptly ended. Many of the ships are currently off the coast of Cyprus.
Other footage showed Israeli forces on speedboats approaching and instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat. At least 17 boats were intercepted in the first three hours of the operation, according to Global Sumud Flotilla’s tracker.
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 the 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.
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.
Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment.
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 activists — a Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin, Saif Abukeshek, and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel, 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.
-with files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.
The Canadian Press
