Mskwassin Agnew, Cree Dene, Arrives in Canada from Israeli Torture Prison
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Oct. 11, 2025
Mskwaasin Agnew, Cree Dene of Salt River First Nation, arrives in Canada, greeted by the sound of the drum, a bouquet of flowers, hugs, and the gift of a blanket, from a large crowd of family, friends and loved ones.
Upon arrival, Mskwaasin was presented with an eagle feather for her bravery and courage, an eagle feather that traveled on the sacred staff for ten years with those speaking for murdered and missing Indigenous women.
"Palestinian people would die for their land. Our people would die for the land. We belong to the land. It's unmistakable, we would do anything for the land to stay on our land. No matter what," Mskwaasin said after being released from an Israeli torture prison, the Ktzi'ot prison in the Negev desert.
Outside the airport, Agnew reflected on her experience, AA.com reports.
In the news
Toronto Today reports, "Mskwaasin Agnew, a Toronto woman who was detained by Israeli forces for participating in a humanitarian flotilla that attempted to break Israel’s blockade and deliver supplies to Gaza, returned to Canadian soil on Saturday.
"As Agnew, who is Cree and Dene from Salt River First Nation, departed the Pearson Airport gates, she was greeted with cheers and a drum circle from supporters. Agnew cried as she hugged friends and family."
"There is still a genocide happening in Palestine, and my comrades are still in prison. We need to tell Canada to sanction Israel," said Mskwaasin, 33, a harms reduction worker, after arriving at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.
"Israel is committing a genocide, in an act of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,"Mskwaasin said to a cheering crowd at the airport.
"There needs to be a full two-way arms embargo."
"I broke no laws, Israel kidnapped me from international waters. They held me illegally, I did nothing wrong."
"Gaza has a right to receive me in their waters. Gaza has the right to receive people at their shores."
"Open the humanitarian corridor. Stop starving these people. This is a manufactured famine. People are starving to death, children are starving to death," she said.
She was aboard the Conscience, a vessel of medics and journalists.
"There is no reason why they shouldn't let in doctors and journalists."
"You don't let in journalists because you don't want the world to know the truth."
Outside the airport, Agnew reflected on her experience, AA.com reports.
"What we went through is nothing in comparison to Palestinians going through every day."
"They imprison children," she said, as the crowd shouted "Shame."
Agnew said there are "absolutely” similarities between the oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Palestinians in Gaza, in response to Anadolu's question about the comparison.
"Palestinian people would die for their land. Our people would die for the land. We belong to the land. It's unmistakable, we would do anything for the land to stay on our land. No matter what," she said.
Her arrival was closely monitored by police as airport officials denied media access. Organizers of Agnew's arrival provided pictures and videos to the media.
Update: Sadie Mees, Devony Ellis, and Nikita Stapleton were part of a Freedom Flotilla. Early Sunday morning, the three women from St. John’s, N.L., were released and crossed safely to Amman, the capital of Jordan.
A famine has been declared by UN-backed agencies and international NGOs in the Gaza Strip since August.
Mskwaasin Agnew returned to Toronto from Istanbul, Turkey, where she was deported on Thursday with 100 other members of the flotilla.
“Israel is committing genocide and an ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” she said. “This is a manufactured famine.”
Agnew called on the Canadian government to impose sanctions on Israel.
Nimâ Machouf, an activist and doctor who was aboard the same intercepted vessel as Agnew, is expected to land in Montreal on Sunday evening, her husband said, and will also be flying from Istanbul.
“We are very proud of her,” said Amir Khadir, a former Quebec solidaire member of the province’s legislature. “We are relieved that nothing too extreme happened to her.”
Khadir said he’s feeling a mixture of joy and sadness, adding the “misery of the Palestinian people will not end just because Nimâ came back.
His wife said that Israeli forces were violent towards the activists they detained.
“They were ill treated, with violence and dragged by their hair,” he said.
They were forced to kneel on the ground for hours at a time and that some were denied their medication, he said.
Also set to return this weekend is Khurram Musti Khan, from Milton, Ont. Gur Tasbar, speaking on behalf of Canadians that took part in the mission.
Live coverage:
"They imprison children," she said, as the crowd shouted "Shame."
Agnew said there are "absolutely” similarities between the oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada and Palestinians in Gaza, in response to Anadolu's question about the comparison.
"Palestinian people would die for their land. Our people would die for the land. We belong to the land. It's unmistakable, we would do anything for the land to stay on our land. No matter what," she said.
Her arrival was closely monitored by police as airport officials denied media access. Organizers of Agnew's arrival provided pictures and videos to the media.
Mskwaasin was released from the Israeli torture prison, after being seized by Israeli forces aboard the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Three Canadian activists were still being held on Saturday and were released on Sunday.
Women were dragged by their hair
The Canadian Press reports that a total of 145 activists were seized from the Freedom Flotilla and Thousand Madleens. This came after nearly 450 activists, including European lawmakers and climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained after more than 40 boats tried to reach Gaza.
A famine has been declared by UN-backed agencies and international NGOs in the Gaza Strip since August.
Mskwaasin Agnew returned to Toronto from Istanbul, Turkey, where she was deported on Thursday with 100 other members of the flotilla.
“Israel is committing genocide and an ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” she said. “This is a manufactured famine.”
Agnew called on the Canadian government to impose sanctions on Israel.
Nimâ Machouf, an activist and doctor who was aboard the same intercepted vessel as Agnew, is expected to land in Montreal on Sunday evening, her husband said, and will also be flying from Istanbul.
“We are very proud of her,” said Amir Khadir, a former Quebec solidaire member of the province’s legislature. “We are relieved that nothing too extreme happened to her.”
Khadir said he’s feeling a mixture of joy and sadness, adding the “misery of the Palestinian people will not end just because Nimâ came back.
His wife said that Israeli forces were violent towards the activists they detained.
“They were ill treated, with violence and dragged by their hair,” he said.
They were forced to kneel on the ground for hours at a time and that some were denied their medication, he said.
Also set to return this weekend is Khurram Musti Khan, from Milton, Ont. Gur Tasbar, speaking on behalf of Canadians that took part in the mission.
Live coverage:
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In the news
Toronto Today reports, "Mskwaasin Agnew, a Toronto woman who was detained by Israeli forces for participating in a humanitarian flotilla that attempted to break Israel’s blockade and deliver supplies to Gaza, returned to Canadian soil on Saturday.
"As Agnew, who is Cree and Dene from Salt River First Nation, departed the Pearson Airport gates, she was greeted with cheers and a drum circle from supporters. Agnew cried as she hugged friends and family."
Greta Thunberg in prison
Update: Most of the U.S. media has not included all the details. Greta Thunberg, who came to Standing Rock to support Water Protectors, is one of the women on the flotillas carrying humanitarian aid who was abused in an Israeli prison. Most of the U.S. media is leaving out one of the vile acts that prison guards did to Greta. The Swedish newspaper translation is below in the comments.
The international media is quoting the women who were abused and brutalized in prison, while the U.S. and Canadian media is playing it down, with headlines saying "they are sharing their experiences."
"Immediately after seizing the ship, Israeli soldiers threw me to the ground and placed an Israeli flag next to me. They kicked me every time the fabric touched my face. After a while, my hands were put in cable ties, very tight. A bunch of guards lined up to take selfies with me as I sat there."
On the strip-search and filming:
"They took me to a separate room for a strip-search. I was forced to undress completely—they made me stand naked while they filmed everything with their phones and cameras. It was humiliating. They laughed and said things like 'This is for your own good' in broken English. I felt so exposed, like an animal in a zoo. The whole process was recorded; I could see the red lights on the devices. They threatened to gas me if I didn't comply and kept me in a cold room all night afterward."
On additional abuses and prison conditions:
"In prison, we were separated from the others and put into a small outdoor cage with about 60 people. No food, no water—we had to drink from the toilet tap. When we asked for water, the guards laughed and poured the bottles onto the ground in front of us. They insulted me in Swedish, shouting 'Lilla hora' and 'Hora Greta' ('little whore,' 'whore Greta'). National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir came to the detention area and shouted that we were 'terrorists' and 'wanted to kill Jewish children.'
The cells had bullet holes in the walls with bloodstains and messages carved by previous Palestinian prisoners. We saw mothers writing their children’s names on the walls before deportation. This is only a small part of what Palestinians endure daily—if they can treat a well-known white Swedish citizen like this with the world watching, imagine what happens behind closed doors."
On the return of her belongings:
"When they finally gave back my suitcase before deportation, it was defaced with graffiti: 'Whore Greta' written in marker, drawings of penises, and Stars of David around it. They had stamped on my frog hat too."
Thunberg emphasized in the interview that she is sharing these details not for personal attention but to highlight systemic issues: "I don't want headlines like 'Greta was tortured.' The story is the torture of Palestinians." The Aftonbladet article also includes confirmations from three other flotilla members who witnessed similar abuses, and criticism of the Swedish embassy for inaction despite complaints. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, published on October 14, 2025
U.S. Journalist on Flotilla Tortured in Israel's Prison
Noa Avishag Schnall, before and after torture
Trauma warning: A U.S. journalist was tortured while imprisoned after she was seized from the Freedom Flotilla.
This Hindu newspaper quoted her, while the U.S. media didn't give her full description of the torture in Israel's Ktzi'ot prison in the Negev desert.
In a video shared online, she claimed to have been victimized by "inhumane treatment," strip searched several times, and violently held in international waters.
“Our boat was attacked around 5 a.m.,” Schnall stated in the video, appearing with a black eye and evident bruises. She claimed the “brutality” started right away.
“I was hung from the metal shackles on my wrists and ankles and beaten on my stomach, back, face, ear, and skull by a group of men and women guards, one of whom sat on my neck and face, blocking my airways.”
Schnall alleges that she and the other 150 activists on the flotilla were treated inhumanely following their detention. She claimed that inmates were handcuffed, blindfolded, and made to lie in stressful positions with zip-ties placed into their arms.
“At least one woman has reported being physically penetrated by guards who laughed at her pain. Others, including myself, endured threats of rape, beatings, and suffocation,” she claimed.
Schnall further detailed the frequent denials of fundamental rights including access to water and healthcare, as well as the systematic stealing of individuals' property during searches. -- Hinduustan Times linkhttps://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/who-is-noa-avishag-schnall-us-born-journalist-makes-shocking-brutality-claims-against-israeli-guards-i-was-hung-101760521189515-amp.html
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