Ten Dutch activists detained in Israeli prison after Gaza flotilla interception
Ten Dutch participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza remain detained in Israel’s Ketziot Prison in the Negev Desert, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Friday. The Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla, which included about 500 activists from various countries, before it reached Gaza.
According to a spokesperson for the Dutch branch of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), three of the Dutch detainees have started a hunger strike. “They are very exhausted,” the spokesperson said, adding that the group has no serious injuries. The Dutch contingent included sixteen people, six of whom do not hold Dutch passports.
Dutch embassy staff visited the detainees on Friday, speaking with them, checking on their well-being, and providing information about the legal process, the ministry said. According to the RTL, the ministry emphasized that it is pressing Israeli authorities to ensure proper treatment of the Dutch nationals and is closely monitoring the situation. “We are also in contact with Israeli authorities to ensure this group of Dutch nationals can return to the Netherlands as soon as possible,” the ministry stated.
Three of the Dutch detainees refused on principle to sign “confession forms,” potentially extending their detention, the Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson said. Israel had announced plans to deport the Dutch activists, but further details on their release are pending.
The flotilla departed from Barcelona at the end of August carrying humanitarian aid in an attempt to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces boarded the vessels well before they reached the Gaza coast, an operation livestreamed and reported to have lasted approximately twelve hours. An Israeli official said the naval operation “foiled a large-scale boarding attempt involving hundreds of people across 41 ships.”
By the end of the operation, more than 400 participants were transferred to the port of Ashdod for processing by Israeli police. The Global Sumud Flotilla reported the flotilla consisted of 42 vessels and described the passengers’ capture as “illegal abduction.”
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that they had already deported four Italian activists who were also a part of the flotilla.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a short video showing Greta Thunberg receiving a bottle of water and a warm vest, with the caption: “Greta and her friends are well and healthy.”
Israel has repeatedly referred to the flotilla as the “Hamas-Sumud flotilla.” According to the ministry’s statement on X, Israel, along with Italy and Greece, offered the flotilla a way to deliver aid to Gaza peacefully. The flotilla rejected the offer, the ministry said, claiming the participants were “not interested in aid, but in provocation.”
International maritime law experts, including Dutch maritime law specialist Fred Soons, have questioned Israel’s legal grounds for intercepting vessels in international waters. “Once no weapons are found, there is no basis to stop the ships. They are not violating international rules,” Soons told RTL.
Israel has not delivered significant aid to Gaza in recent months. Of the 66,055 people killed in the Gaza Strip as of September 29, including 19,424 children, 440 reportedly died of starvation. Among them, 147 were children, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
