Canadian civil society to join the largest civilian-led mission to Gaza in history

[Sid Shniad]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANADIAN CIVIL SOCIETY TO JOIN THE LARGEST CIVILIAN-LED MISSION TO GAZA IN HISTORY

 

Global Sumud Canada and Canadian Boat to Gaza announce their joint
efforts in challenging Israel’s illegal and inhumane blockade of Gaza

March 18, 2026

Tiohtià:ke/Moonyang/Montreal – Canadian civil society organizations announce today their participation in the largest maritime civilian-led mission coordinated with land convoys for Palestine to date.

In April, Global Sumud Canada and Canadian Boat to Gaza, with support from over 80 civil society groups from across Canada, will join forces on an international flotilla and overland mission. With over 100 boats, 1,000 healthcare professionals, and thousands of participants from over 100 countries, this mission aims to break Israel’s illegal blockade, deliver urgent life-saving aid, and support reconstruction—a direct response to Palestinians in Gaza, who continue to be subject to Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing, armed in no small part through Canada’s ongoing complicity. 

What distinguishes this mission from previous initiatives is not only its unprecedented scale or the broadening of international solidarity it has ignited, but also the alternative political vision it carries—one of Palestinian-led reconstruction, supported by civil society networks, professionals, and engaged movements across the world.

At a time when certain proposals—particularly those associated with Donald Trump—envision the future of Gaza through frameworks of control or imposed restructuring, this flotilla puts forward a different path: a reconstruction grounded in the rights of Palestinians, their self-determination, and active international solidarity, rejecting any form of political or colonial instrumentalization.

In Canada, Global Sumud Canada and Canadian Boat to Gaza are bringing together activists, professionals, and members of organizations from coast to coast. Together, we will contribute concretely to the citizen-led reconstruction project for Gaza, while challenging Canada’s political responsibilities, as well as the role and accountability of the media, particularly in relation to its complicity in the ongoing genocide, which continues despite ceasefire announcements that remain fragile, partially implemented, and repeatedly violated on the ground.

This mission takes place within an extremely alarming regional context, marked by an intensification of Israeli military offensives and an expansion of the war far beyond Gaza. It now extends to Lebanon, with bombardments and mass displacement of populations, as well as to Iran, following direct strikes and retaliations that are driving a broader dynamic of regional escalation. These developments heighten the risk of a wider regional conflagration and reflect an expansion of domination, militarization of territories, and forced displacement of civilian populations.

At the same time, we are witnessing a growing criminalization of solidarity with Palestinians in several countries. We express our full solidarity with comrades of Global Sumud Tunisia, as well as with all activists facing repression for their commitment.

In the face of the humanitarian emergency and these political dynamics, this flotilla represents both a concrete act of international solidarity and a clear political stance against war, blockade, and the erasure of peoples.

When governments fail to act, people organize. 

Quotes

Safa Chebbi with Global Sumud Canada: 

“This flotilla is not merely a humanitarian mission. It is a political response to a war that is expanding from Gaza to Lebanon and as far as Iran, and to imperialist and colonialist projects that seek to determine the future of the region without its peoples. We affirm a different path: one of active international solidarity and a reconstruction led by civil societies, grounded in the rights and self-determination of Palestinians.”

Ehab Lotayef with Canadian Boat to Gaza:

“There are those who want the world to believe that the genocide ended and that the Gaza is now recovering.  This cannot be further from the truth.  It is up to civil society across the world to speak and act when governments fall silent or are intimidated by US hegemony. There was not a day of "peace" in Gaza since the sham cease-fire was announced and the Israeli crimes will not be forgotten nor forgiven. We will sail to awaken the conscience of humanity.” 

Boutaïna Chafi with Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Montreal:

“This flotilla constitutes a practice of Palestinians' right of return to their land, to Gaza, that has been besieged for 19 years. While the Canadian government claims that it supports peace and deescalation efforts in the region, Canadians know that weapons still make their way to the US and Israel. As Gaza continues to survive this genocidal attack, the entire region is the target of Israeli and American aggression. As a result, people of conscience across the country are coming together to demand a two way arms embargo on Israel and to exert diplomatic and political pressure on both countries to stop these illegal wars.” 

Diane Lamoureux with Coalition du Québec URGENCE Palestine:

“Israel has still not lifted the blockade on Gaza and is preventing humanitarian organizations from doing their work. The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, and the genocide continues, amid the indifference and the complicity of the Canadian government, forcing civil society to step in.”

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Global Sumud Canada (GSF) is Canada’s Delegation to the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international movement of coordinated, nonviolent action—by land, sea, and across borders—working to end Israel's illegal siege on Gaza, confront the complicity that enables occupation, and stand with the Palestinian people.

The Canadian Boat to Gaza (CBG) is a cross Canada collective established in 2010 to challenge and break the Israeli illegal blockade of Gaza.  It is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), and has taken part in over 10 missions to Gaza between 2011 and 2025, in addition to port visits across the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe to bring awareness to the illegal blockade of Gaza and the struggle of the Palestinian people living under occupation, siege and genocide.

Media Contacts:

Global Sumud Canada

Alicia: (250) 710-4355 (English) & Lynda: (514) 690-5113 (French)
Email: globalsu...@gmail.com
Instagram: @canada_globalsumud

Canadian Boat to Gaza

Ehab Lotayef: (514) 941-9792 (English)

Email: lot...@gmail.com

Instagram: @canadaboatgaza

Palestinian Youth Movement 

Boutaïna Chafi: (581) 777-7193 (English and French)

Email: boutain...@gmail.com 

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