After being detained by Israeli forces, activist and doctor Nima Mashouf is expected to land in Montreal on Sunday, her husband said.
The Montreal epidemiologist was among several Canadians aboard a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The vessel, called The Conscience, was intercepted by the Israeli military earlier this week.
“We're very proud of her,” said Amir Khadir, a former Quebec stalwart MNA. “We're glad nothing bad happened to her.”
Since August this year, UN-backed agencies and international non-governmental organizations have declared a famine in the Gaza Strip.
Mashouf will fly out of Istanbul, Turkey, after being deported there by the Israeli military. She is expected to land at Montreal Trudeau International Airport around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Khadir said.
He said he felt a mixture of joy and sadness, adding that “the suffering of the Palestinian people will not end just because Nima has returned.”
His wife told him that Israeli forces had used violence against activists they detained.
“They were mistreated, subjected to violence and pulled by their hair,” he said.
He said he had heard that people intercepted from the flotillas were forced to kneel on the ground for hours, and some were denied medication.
Israel's Foreign Ministry has previously denied allegations of abuse.
According to him, Khadir's wife first left for the mission at the end of September.
The Israeli military interception on Wednesday in the Mediterranean involved a flotilla of nine boats. The activists on board tried to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Following the interception, a total of 145 activists were brought ashore to Israel for processing and deportation, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. It comes after nearly 450 activists, including European lawmakers and climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained last week after more than 40 boats tried to reach the Gaza Strip.
Mashouf was among five other Canadians aboard the Conscience.
Indigenous rights activist Mswaasin Agnew was also among them and is expected to land in Toronto on Saturday.
Gur Tsabar, speaking on behalf of the Canadians taking part in the mission, said her flight is expected to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 4 p.m.
In a video posted to social media three days ago, the Cree and Dean woman and member of Salt River First Nation is urging her friends and family to contact Canadian authorities to help secure her immediate release.
Khurram Musti Khan, of Milton, Ont., is expected to land at Toronto airport from Istanbul on Sunday evening, Tsabar said.
Newfoundland residents Sadie Mees, Nikita Stapleton and Devoni Ellis are still in Israeli custody but are expected to be deported to Jordan on Sunday, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2025.
