'Extremely worried': Former-Calgarian civilian journalist missing in Gaza more than a week

The Muslim Council of Calgary (MCC) is calling on the Government of Canada to help locate a former Calgarian reported missing in Gaza.

Mansour Shouman, a Canadian citizen and civilian journalist, has reportedly been missing more than a week.

“The Muslim Council of Calgary urgently calls upon the Canadian Government to utilize all diplomatic channels and resources to ascertain the whereabouts and safety of Mr. Shouman and his safe return to his family,” the MCC said in a Monday press release.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is investigating the disappearance of a Canadian man in Gaza, but would not confirm their identity.

“Global Affairs Canada is aware of a Canadian who is missing in Gaza. Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely and are in direct contact with the family members,” the agency said in a statement to CTV News on Sunday.

“Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”

Shouman has spent months documenting the crisis in Gaza as a citizen journalist, and helping to distribute humanitarian aid.

“His reports have been vital in bringing international attention to the plight of civilians caught in this unsatisfiable war. The MCC and the local Muslim community are extremely worried about the safety of our brother Mansour Shouman and the well-being of countless innocent civilians,” the MCC said in its release.

Shouman has been living in Gaza with his family since 2022. He previously was an oil and gas consultant in Calgary.

He also used to be the director of the MCC, where he worked on building connections between Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities.

Calgarian Saima Jamal worked closely with Shouman on many of his MCC projects.

“He is a very friendly guy,” said Jamal.

“He's a very justice-oriented, very community-oriented person. Always wanting to help out in whatever way he could, always wanted the betterment of the community, always wanted to bridge gaps between the Muslim community and the greater Calgary community.”

Jamal said she once passed on a message to Shouman from his mother telling him to flee Gaza.

“And he said, ‘I can't do this. This is my calling. You know, as a Muslim, I can't leave my people behind at this insane time of crisis. I'm needed here. I don't think any able-bodied man should leave. If they can help the people that are getting bombed by telling the world that these people need help.’”

Shouman has five children, according to the Canadian Press. His family fled their homes in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

"For everybody, watching what's happening in Gaza has been traumatic, but since we haven't heard from Mansour, it's been really worrying," Zaheera Soomar, a colleague of Shouman, told CTV News Channel on Sunday.

Soomar, who works with the team in Gaza from Toronto, said the last time they had heard from Shouman was 4 p.m. on Jan. 21.

There have been unverified reports of eyewitnesses who say Shouman was arrested by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

At least 83 journalists and media workers have been killed so far in the conflict, including 76 Palestinian journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

A petition calling for Shouman’s safe return has garnered more than 129,000 signatures since it was first shared on Saturday.

With files from CTVNews.ca and The Canadian Press