On Thursday, Oct. 2, A flotilla of 44 civilian boats carrying humanitarian aid destined for Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces. The official name of the flotilla was “The Freedom Flotilla,” organized by the group Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The flotilla’s mission was to protest Israel’s 18-year maritime blockade on Gaza and provide relief for the ongoing famine in the area.
There were roughly 443 people detained by Israel across the 44 ships. Of these 443 people, 341 have since been released. These releases occurred between Oct. 4-7. Notable people aboard the flotilla included environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Mandla Mandela (eldest grandson of Nelson Mandela) and various other lawmakers and government members. The activists come from a wide range of countries, including Spain, the United States of America, Scotland, Italy and South Africa.
The flotilla set off on its journey from Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 1. Other boats joined the flotilla as they continued their journey. The ships faced drone attacks attributed to Israel on Sept. 8 and 9 in the waters of Tunisia, with an additional attack in Greece around Sept. 24.
The flotilla was originally accompanied by Italian and Spanish naval vessels to offer protection and assistance if necessary. These diplomatic accompaniments were disbanded when the flotilla reached 150 nautical miles from the shore of the Gaza Strip. The flotilla was warned of the departure of the protective vessels on the morning of Sept. 30.
The interception of the flotilla and its passengers has sparked international outrage. There have been protests in Rome, Istanbul, Athens and Buenos Aires.
Statements condemning the act have come from the governments of Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan, South Africa and Malaysia, with Colombian president Gustavo Petro announcing his plans to terminate the country’s free trade agreement with Israel.
After the activists were released from Israeli custody, many spoke about their experience in Israeli detention.
“They are not giving any medical support to the prisoners there,” says Marco Tesh, a Dutch Palestinian activist who was detained by Israel. “The people have been kidnapped from international waters, and Israel is mistreating everyone, but especially the people with Arabic or Muslim background.”
Activist Kieran Andrieu, a British Palestinian journalist, added, “The food we were given was infested with insects…We were 10 to a cell. We were in cells without drinking water.”
Greta Thunberg, an activist on the Freedom Flotilla, was first popularized for protesting climate change. Some in captivity with Thunberg claimed that she was singled out due to her large popularity internationally; reports of her mistreatment include claims of her being forced to kiss the flag of Israel. Thunberg herself has made few comments on what happened in the Israeli prison, preferring to focus on Gaza and the purpose of the flotilla.
“Personally, I don’t want to share what I was subjected to because I don’t want it to make headlines and ‘Greta has been tortured,’ because that’s not the story here,” Thunberg said.
Another flotilla by the name of Thousand Madleens is on its way to Gaza, continuing the attempt to break the maritime blockade. This flotilla has nine vessels and is currently near Port Said in Egypt, less than 100 nautical miles away from Gaza. The group Thousand Madleens to Gaza has plans to send a second flotilla in November.