Air Canada grounded a pilot after discovering his 'unacceptable' social media posts condemning Israel

• Air Canada grounded a pilot over his "unacceptable" social media posts, CTV News reported.
• A nonprofit screenshotted the pilot's purported posts and published them to X.

Air Canada took one of its pilots "out of service" on Monday after discovering his "unacceptable" social media posts condemning Israel, CTV News reported.

The pilot, Mostafa Ezzo, reportedly posted photos from a protest to his Instagram stories over the weekend. The images appear to be taken from a protest in Montreal on Sunday, CTV News reported, one day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that escalated to war.

The images, screenshotted and shared to X (formerly known as Twitter) by the nonprofit StopAntisemitism, appeared to show Ezzo holding a sign that said, "Israel Hitler would be proud of you."

Screenshots also appeared to show Ezzo with a sign depicting a person throwing Israel's flag into a trash bin, followed by, "Keep the world clean."

Ezzo has since deleted his social media accounts and could not be reached for comment.

Air Canada did not respond to Insider's request for comment but confirmed in an X post that Ezzo was grounded from flying on Monday.

"We are aware of the unacceptable posts made by an Air Canada pilot," the post read. "We are taking this matter very seriously, and he was taken out of service on Mon, Oct. 9. We firmly denounce violence in all forms."

An Air Line Pilots Association spokesperson, the union representing Air Canada pilots, told Insider they were aware of Ezzo's grounding in a statement Wednesday.

"ALPA Canada, including the Air Canada pilot group, is aware of the situation and is incredibly saddened by the tragedies in the Middle East," the statement read. "We condemn all violence and hatred, and any promotion thereof. It is our firm expectation that all of our members abide by this principle and our professional code of ethics."

More than 1,800 people have died since the fighting began over the weekend, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which gathers data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health and Israeli officials. Thousands more have been injured, dozens have been kidnapped, and over 260,000 people have been displaced along the Gaza Strip, according to the organization's data.

Fighting began early Saturday morning when Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel with paragliders, boats, and motor vehicles. Israel quickly declared a "state of war" on Sunday.

Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant announced a "complete siege" of Gaza on Monday — meaning residents would have no access to food, fuel, or electricity, as Insider previously reported.