Hundreds of participants from the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza remain in detention after Israeli forces intercepted their vessels in international waters amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The detainees, held in southern Israel, have described degrading and inhumane treatment, including being bound for hours, denied water and medical access, and deliberately deprived of legal representation.

Lawyers attempting to reach the detainees said many were forced to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs for more than five hours after expressing solidarity with Gaza’s people. Others were filmed and mocked in what witnesses described as a calculated effort to break their dignity. Legal teams were excluded from hearings and informed of court sessions only after they had concluded, as detainees were transferred to desert prisons without counsel or due process.

Observers noted that the interception, carried out in international waters, constitutes an abduction of civilians and a continuation of Israel’s wider genocidal campaign. The blockade of Gaza, now in its eighteenth year, remains a key mechanism of collective punishment, depriving Palestinians of essential supplies while criminalising humanitarian solidarity.

The flotilla, which sought to deliver urgent aid to Gaza’s besieged population, has become another symbol of resistance against the machinery of genocide. The treatment of its participants reflects the same disregard for human life and dignity that defines the broader tragedy unfolding across Gaza, where even acts of compassion are met with violence and repression.