Two Canadians, Robert Lovelace and Kevin Neish, who were on board the Freedom Flotilla III boat Marianne, headed towards Gaza when it was seized by Israeli forces early Monday morning, are returning to Canada today.

Our friends at Independent Jewish Voices Canada have prepared an online letter which you can use to send a message to Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson, Prime Minister Steven Harper, Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar, as well as other party leaders & foreign affairs critics. Here is their message:

Dear Friend,

On Saturday morning local Greek time, the third international Freedom Flotilla set sail for Gaza in the hopes of breaking Israel's illegal and immoral blockade.

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Today, June 27th 2015 (4 am in Gaza), four boats of the 2015 the Freedom Flotilla III set sail from their final European points of departure. Through nonviolent resistance they will challenge the illegal blockade of the Palestinian Gaza strip, which is running on its 9th year, sailing as always from international waters directly into Palestinian waters.

Freedom Flotilla III is an international action that is challenging the blockade on Gaza. Follow the progress of the ships on this live map.

To read more about Freedom Flotilla 3, click here.

You can follow the Canadian Boat to Gaza's blog here.

Ehab Lotayef wrote this poem about the Mavi Marmara. He is now on board the Freedom Flotilla III, in his second attempt to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

His first was aboard the Canadian Boat to Gaza in 2011.

To read more about Freedom Flotilla III, click here.

Follow the progress of the ships here.

You can follow the Canadian Boat to Gaza's blog here.

Despite mounting international pressure, Israel contines to attack Gaza. The apartheid wall, the mounting death toll and the general disregard for human rights and international law characterize the current state of affairs.

We are a coalition of civil society members with diverse backgrounds who all believe that Palestinians have a right to self-determination and freedom of movement.

From an August 31 Press Release:

On August 31 an Israeli court issued a verdict in the case by Ship to Gaza Sweden against the Israeli government, regarding the rights to S/V Estelle. The verdict is all in favour of Ship to Gaza's complaint. It was when Ship to Gaza started the case with a demand to have the Estelle back, that the Israeli state replied with a demand to instead have the ship confiscated. However, the court rejected this, and instead confirmed the organisation's rights. In addition, the state of Israel will pay the legal expenses.

A poem by Gaza's Ark Steering Committee member, Montreal poet, Ehab Lotayef.

This is a poetic translation of Khaled el-Haber's Arabic song.

On July 11, 2 a.m. local time, Israeli warships fired on the Palestinian/international boat, Gaza's Ark, which burst into flames and was completely destroyed. We had been working on this project for over two years, buying on old fishing boat, the largest one we could find in Gaza, and converting it into a cargo vessel. It was due to sail out of Gaza in September, carrying goods from the occupied West Bank and Gaza to trade with the outside world, in an attempt to break the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Building this boat continued the movement to sail boats to and from Gaza and was also part of the much larger movement of non-violent resistance to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.