Hundreds of activists from 47 countries participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian aid mission to Gaza were abducted in international waters by Israeli forces late on Wednesday into Thursday.
Israeli authorities began to hold deportation hearings on Thursday for activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) detained in international waters, “without prior notice to their lawyers,” according to a legal centre based in Israel.
In a statement, Adalah, the first Palestinian Arab-run legal center in Israel, said it had received calls from participants reporting that immigration officials had initiated hearings on their detention and deportation orders at the Port of Ashdod. This comes after Israeli naval forces attacked dozens of flotilla ships late Wednesday and early Thursday.
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“These proceedings were initiated without prior notice to their lawyers and while denying participants access to legal counsel,” Adalah reportedly said.
It called the steps “a grave violation of due process and a denial of the participants’ fundamental rights,” saying that it would continue efforts to secure legal access and pursue legal action if necessary.
Adalah later said that its legal team managed to enter the port to meet the detained activists after they were initially denied access by Israeli authorities.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that the detained activists “will be deported to Europe.”
‘Assaulted with Water Canons’
The GSF said in a statement on Thursday that “hundreds of participants” were abducted and reportedly taken aboard a large naval vessel to Ashdod port.
“This was after they were assaulted with water cannons, doused with skunk water, and had their communications systematically jammed in yet more acts of aggression against unarmed civilians,” the GSF stressed.
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The flotilla, consisting of more than 40 vessels with over 400 activists from 47 countries, was illegally intercepted by the Israeli navy around 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) from Gaza beginning late on Wednesday. The “peaceful, non-violent convoy” were carrying humanitarian aid, including food, baby formula and medicine in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
“This is an unlawful abduction, in direct violation of international law and basic human rights,” the GSF stated. “Intercepting humanitarian vessels in international waters is a war crime; denying legal counsel and concealing the fate of those seized compounds that crime.”
Call to World Leaders
The mission demanded that governments, world leaders, and international institutions immediately intervene to secure information on the missing participants, guarantee their safety, and demand their immediate release.
‘International Crime’: World Leaders Condemn Israel’s Attack on Gaza Flotilla
“Our commitment remains clear: to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Every act of repression against our flotilla, every escalation of violence in Gaza, and every attempt to suppress solidarity actions only strengthen our resolve,” the statement added.
(Anadolu, PC)
