Gaza aid boat activists on hunger strike after Israeli detention, says NGO
At least five of the 21 passengers of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala have agreed to be summarily deported after the boat was stopped and boarded by the Israeli navy while attempting to break a military blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The legal aid group Adalah said that on Monday afternoon, 'hearings concluded at Givon Prison, concerning the continued detention of the 14 volunteers who… refused to consent to an expedited deportation process'.
'During the hearings, the volunteers stressed that their mission was humanitarian — motivated by the need to act against Israel's illegal siege and the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' the group said in a statement.
One US activist reported 'severe physical violence by Israeli forces', while others described being held in poor conditions, Adalah said.
'The activists told the tribunal that they remain on an open hunger strike in protest of their unlawful detention,' it added.
It later said the tribunal had 'upheld the continued detention of the 14 volunteers'.
Israel has been treating their cases as immigration violations, which Adalah maintains is illegal, saying they were brought into the country against their will from international waters.
The Handala's 21 passengers hailed from 10 countries, and included two French lawmakers and a pair of Al Jazeera journalists.
Adalah said at least one of the lawmakers, the two journalists and two other passengers were already on their way out of the country.
Two passengers who were Israeli-American dual nationals were released after being interrogated, according to the organisation.
A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9.
It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel. — AFP
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Malay Mail
13 hours ago
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Gaza aid boat activists on hunger strike after Israeli detention, says NGO
JERUSALEM, July 29 — More than a dozen activists being held by Israel after their aid boat was intercepted en route to Gaza launched a hunger strike on Monday to protest their detention, according to a local NGO assisting them. At least five of the 21 passengers of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Handala have agreed to be summarily deported after the boat was stopped and boarded by the Israeli navy while attempting to break a military blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. The legal aid group Adalah said that on Monday afternoon, 'hearings concluded at Givon Prison, concerning the continued detention of the 14 volunteers who… refused to consent to an expedited deportation process'. 'During the hearings, the volunteers stressed that their mission was humanitarian — motivated by the need to act against Israel's illegal siege and the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,' the group said in a statement. One US activist reported 'severe physical violence by Israeli forces', while others described being held in poor conditions, Adalah said. 'The activists told the tribunal that they remain on an open hunger strike in protest of their unlawful detention,' it added. It later said the tribunal had 'upheld the continued detention of the 14 volunteers'. Israel has been treating their cases as immigration violations, which Adalah maintains is illegal, saying they were brought into the country against their will from international waters. The Handala's 21 passengers hailed from 10 countries, and included two French lawmakers and a pair of Al Jazeera journalists. Adalah said at least one of the lawmakers, the two journalists and two other passengers were already on their way out of the country. Two passengers who were Israeli-American dual nationals were released after being interrogated, according to the organisation. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on June 9. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel. — AFP
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‘Calculated and systematic': Two rights groups are first Israeli voices to accuse Israel of genocide
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Israel has fended off accusations of genocide since the early days of the Gaza war, including a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned as 'outrageous'. Israel has consistently said its actions are justified as self-defence, and Hamas is to blame for harm to civilians, for refusing to release hostages and surrender, and for operating in civilian areas, which the militant group denies. A spokesperson for the Israeli government called the allegation made by the rights groups on Monday 'baseless'. 'There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide … it simply doesn't make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tonnes of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide,' said spokesperson David Mencer. Israel's military also rejected the reports' findings as 'baseless'. It said it abides by international law and takes unprecedented measures to prevent harm to civilians while Hamas uses them as 'human shields'. Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities across the border on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel has often described that attack, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, as genocidal. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins, and displaced nearly the entire population of more than two million. Accusations of genocide have particular gravity in Israel because of the origins of the concept in the work of Jewish legal scholars in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust. Israeli officials have in the past said using the word against Israel was libellous and antisemitic. 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That has been changing, with recent images of starving children having a little more impact, said Oren Persico from The Seventh Eye, a group that tracks trends in Israeli media. 'It's very slowly evolving,' he said. 'You see cracks.' But he did not expect the genocide allegation would spark a major shift in attitudes: 'The Israeli perception is: 'what do you want from us? It's Hamas' fault, if it would only put down its weapons and (release) the hostages this could all be over'.' In an editorial in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, Dani Dayan, the chairman of Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, said it was not accurate to accuse Israel of committing genocide. 'But that does not mean we should not acknowledge the suffering of civilians in Gaza. There are many men, women, and children with no connection to terrorism who are experiencing devastation, displacement, and loss,' he wrote. 'Their anguish is real, and our moral tradition obligates us not to turn away from it.' — Reuters
