Palestinian-Canadian appears to post to social media after being reported missing in Gaza
CTV
Mansour Shouman, the Palestinian-Canadian reported missing in Gaza, appears to have posted to social media for the first time in weeks on Tuesday.
Mansour Shouman, the Palestinian-Canadian reported missing in Gaza, appears to have posted to social media for the first time in weeks on Tuesday.
The post says Shouman spent days evading gunfire in Khan Younis without access to his phone, and that was the cause of his sudden disappearance.
Shouman was in the region to help document ongoing humanitarian efforts amid the raging Israel-Hamas war. His disappearance drew widespread-attention, including that of the prime minister, after loved ones reported losing contact in January.
He said in the video posted to Instagram that “over two weeks ago,” he departed with a group of volunteers to check progress on a “tent project” in western Khan Younis. He said the group left their phones behind, citing safety concerns.
“Once we reached the facility of the tents, we were surprised to see several drones, at low altitudes, right above us,” he said, adding he saw other military personnel, tanks and “firefighters” move into the area. He also accused them of attacking civilians.
“We had to run for cover, and for the last two weeks, we have been going from house to house throughout the west of Khan Younis” to evade bombing and gunfire, he said. Previous, unverified reports claimed he was taken in by Israeli forces, which Shouman did not mention in the video.
“We never left Khan Younis. We never thought of leaving Khan Younis,” he said.
