Hundreds of pro-Palestinian flotilla activists were brought to Ashdod Port after the Israeli Navy intercepted Gaza-bound vessels attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade, Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel said Wednesday.
According to Adalah, attorneys from the organization, alongside volunteer lawyers, were allowed into Ashdod Port to hold legal consultations with the detained participants, who had been aboard vessels affiliated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The group said the activists included international solidarity activists, human rights defenders, and medical volunteers who had set sail toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the blockade.
Adalah accused Israel of unlawfully intercepting civilian vessels in international waters and taking the participants into Israeli territory against their will.
Later in the day, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir humiliated the activists being held by Israeli authorities.
In videos put out by his office, he was seen waving a massive Israeli flag and telling the room of activists, blindfolded and bent over, “Welcome to Israel, we are in charge here.” A later snippet shows the activists all lying on the ground as Hatikvah plays on loudspeakers.
When one activist could be heard shouting, “Please!” Ben-Gvir said, “Their cries are nothing to be excited about,” per the video.
“They came with such pride; look at them now, not brave at all,” said the national security minister.
Ben-Gvir’s actions set off a diplomatic and political storm
He called on Netanyahu to imprison them with terrorists, saying that “that is how it should be.”
Adalah said in response that Israel is “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel's ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people,” adding that it follows a “pattern of ill treatment against activists in previous flotilla missions, for which Israel faced zero accountability.”
Around 90 of the detained activists began a hunger strike, according to the Global Sumud Flotilla.
In a Wednesday evening press release, the GSF decried what they said was torture of the detained activists. Flotilla organizers announced that on Thursday afternoon they would hold a press briefing to update about the legal status of the detainees and abuses they suffered.
Ben-Gvir’s actions set off a diplomatic and political storm, with ambassadors across the world getting reprimanded for his actions, and earned him scorn from across the Israeli political spectrum.
Meanwhile, the land convoy that launched from Zalitan on Saturday in tandem with the flotilla was by Wednesday night still stalled near Sirte, where a June convoy was disbanded after Libyan forces would not let them pass.
The Maghreb Sumud Organization said on Wednesday morning that they had successfully engaged Libyan forces in negotiations to deliver their cargo of humanitarian aid. The convoy had come to a halt on the outskirts of Sirte on Sunday after fears grew of a confrontation with an amassing Libyan force.
Both the land and maritime efforts set out with the objective of bringing awareness to a blockade that they argued was stifling Gaza, and more immediately to bring humanitarian aid to the embattled territory.
Israel has rejected the flotilla’s framing, with the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) saying that 600 aid trucks entered Gaza every day, while the flotilla lacked any humanitarian capacity. The Foreign Ministry said overnight after the final vessel interceptions that “another PR flotilla has come to an end.”
“All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” the ministry said shortly after midnight.
The ministry added that the flotilla was “nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” and said Israel would continue to act in accordance with international law and prevent any breach of the naval blockade on Gaza.
By Tuesday evening, the GSF said all 50 boats had been intercepted in the eastern Mediterranean, with 428 participants from more than 40 countries detained. The Foreign Ministry said the activists would be able to meet consular representatives.
The flotilla was the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, amid continued international criticism over the humanitarian situation in the enclave. Israel has repeatedly described such flotillas as provocations rather than meaningful aid missions, while activists and rights groups argue that the sailings are meant to protest the blockade and draw attention to conditions in Gaza.
The Navy intercepted most of the flotilla west of Cyprus
The flotilla departed from Turkey last week as part of a renewed blockade run after a previous attempt was intercepted by the Israeli Navy in April. Last week, organizers said 54 vessels and more than 500 activists were expected to leave Marmaris, Turkey, following the detention and deportation of key organizers from an earlier attempt.
By Monday, the flotilla had included dozens of vessels, some organized by IHH, the Turkish group behind the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla. Ahead of its expected arrival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held consultations with senior defense officials.
On Tuesday, the Navy intercepted most of the flotilla west of Cyprus, with the last vessels stopped later in the day after scattering north of Port Said and near Cyprus; if the remaining vessels had not been stopped, they could have reached Gaza by Tuesday night.
Adalah said its legal team would challenge the legality of the detentions and demand the immediate release of the flotilla participants.