Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is summoning Israel’s ambassador to Canada in response to the treatment of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel detained earlier this week.
Activists say 11 Canadians were among those detained when Israel’s navy intercepted 50 boats in international waters near Cyprus on May 18.
Canada is one of several countries planning to recall their diplomats from Israel following the release of a video by the country’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which mocks detained activists from the Gaza flotilla. The video was posted on Ben-Gvir’s X account on May 20.
The footage seems to show the minister mocking the activists, saying they should remain imprisoned for a “long, long time.” The activists were travelling on a fleet of vessels that tried to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The footage shows dozens of people with their hands tied behind their backs, their faces against the ground. It also shows a woman yelling “free, free Palestine,” before being forced to the floor by security agents.
Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the treatment of the activists in a May 20 X post, calling it “abominable” and “unacceptable.”
“Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has directed officials to summon the Israeli ambassador to demand assurances regarding the safety and security of Canadians involved,” Carney said. “The protection of civilians and respect for human dignity must be upheld everywhere, at all times.”
Anand spoke to reporters about the incident during a May 20 video call from Estonia, where she is meeting with her Baltic counterparts.
“What we’ve seen, including the video shared by Ben-Gvir, is deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable,” Anand said. “This is a matter we take very, very seriously. It’s a matter of humane treatment of civilians, and I can assure you that we are acting with absolute urgency.”
Anand noted that Canada has previously sanctioned Ben-Gvir. The move came in June 2025 over the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Italy, France, and the Netherlands, which also had citizens aboard the flotilla, are also summoning their Israeli ambassadors.
The Global Sumud Flotilla website says 428 activists have been “kidnapped.” The Israeli naval vessels transporting the activists reached the port city of Ashdod on May 20.
Israeli Officials Speak Out
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country’s interception of the vessels, but criticized Ben-Gvir’s actions.
“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a May 20 statement. “However, the way that Minister Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible.”
Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Ben-Gvir’s actions “disgraceful.”
“You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display—and not for the first time,” he wrote on X. “You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people—from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of Israel.”
In response, Ben-Gvir called Sa’ar a “pushover” who had yet to figure out how to behave toward supporters of terrorism.
“Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get slapped, and we won’t turn the other cheek,” he wrote on X.
Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas assumed control of the region in 2007. Israeli officials intensified the blockade following the Hamas-led terrorist assault on Israeli civilians and security forces on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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