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.

While Israel has rejected claims of abuse, flotilla participant Ehab Lotayef said Wednesday Israeli officials beat him on the chest and ribs, put him in uncomfortable positions for long periods and slashed his hand when he tried to help a fellow detainee.

“We felt that we were let down by Canada before anybody else, to be honest, because the Canadian government knew all that was happening,” Lotayef told a news conference on Parliament Hill.

“When we needed them was when we were being tortured — and the whole world knew that that was happening.”

Activist flotillas have tried repeatedly to reach the Gaza Strip to draw attention to tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies for Palestinians. Israel has intercepted these boats, often in international waters.

Lotayef was one of 12 Canadians among 420 flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities last month. Their detention gained international notoriety when Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists.

Israeli officials have insisted Ben-Gvir’s actions did not reflect state policy, though he remains an integral part of the country’s governing coalition.

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. Both said the Canadians faced “appalling” conditions and were denied consular services.

Israel’s foreign ministry did not reply when asked whether there will be an independent investigation, while its Ottawa embassy wrote in a statement that it had “nothing to say on any such probe.”

Israel’s military and prison service have rejected past allegations of mistreatment of flotilla participants and insist the country upholds international law and will investigate any complaints. Israel has at times referred to the flotillas as political stunts or extremist activity in support of Hamas.

Lotayef said many of those detained last month were deprived of essentials and forced into painful positions.

He said that Canadian officials did not visit him and the other flotilla participants until they were deported to Turkey. Ottawa has said Israel violated international rules by not allowing consular access.

The activists said they wrote to Carney and Anand a week ago seeking a meeting. They said they received only generic acknowledgments of their letter.

“Now we still are waiting for meetings that are meaningful with the Canadian government to talk about this,” Lotayef said.

“Israel does not care about condemnations anymore. Sanctioning one or two politicians is not the solution. There has to be a strong concrete step about how Canada deals with Israel.”

Flotilla participant Safa Chebbi said officials pulled her hijab off and forced her to sleep with her hands tied behind her back in a room with the lights on. She said detained activists were held in cold quarters with only a basic layer of clothing, and that officials denied a diabetic activist medicine.

“We spent the whole day (being) beaten and tortured and everything, and without also eating,” she said.

NDP MP Heather McPherson said Ottawa needs to meet with the activists and take a tougher line on Israel.

“The Canadian government is writing an awful lot of statements and not taking the steps necessary to protect Canadian citizens, to protect international law,” she said.

“The government has an obligation to protect Canadian citizens — and provide more than just consular service, but to provide support after — and (it) has not even taken the courtesy of meeting with these Canadian citizens,” she said.

Richard Kohler, a former Canadian ambassador, told Wednesday’s news conference that Ottawa needs to review its trade agreement with Israel and halt arms trade. He was among nearly 200 former senior diplomats who signed a letter last month urging “robust” sanctions on Israel.

“It’s obvious that in the absence of real consequences, the current Israeli government will continue to flout international law, expanding settlements in the West Bank, and occupying southern Lebanon, making peace impossible,” he said.

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

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press