Israel/Palestine: Illegal interception of the Sumud Flotilla and arrest of peaceful activists

During the night of 1st to 2nd October, 2025, the Israeli army violently intercepted the boats composing the Sumud Flotilla -a non-violent humanitarian initiative aimed at breaking the siege and delivering food and medical supplies to Gaza- in international waters. The peaceful activists on board of the vessels were illegaly arrested -as Israel has no legal authority in international waters- and their boats taken to the port of Ashdod. Two FIDH Vice-Presidents : Alexis Deswaef from Belgium and Aziz Rhali from Morroco, were among the participants and are now part of the detainees, along with many other participants of the flotilla. According to the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah), the hearings began early in the morning of 2 October, in the absence of lawyers. It was only at 4 p.m. that day that Adalah's lawyers were able to gain access to the activists and begin to accompany them.

The Observatory recalls that the arbitrary arrest and detention of individuals engaging in peaceful human rights activities constitutes a flagrant violation of international human rights law, including the rights to liberty, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association. It further underscores that such actions form part of a broader pattern of repression aimed at silencing voices that expose the ongoing genocide in Gaza and challenge Israel’s crimes and gross violations of international humanitarian law.

The Observatory urgently calls on the Israeli authorities to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of all the peaceful activists arrested and to immediately and unconditionally release all those illegally detained, including the two FIDH Vice-Presidents. The Observatory further requests the Israeli authorities to refrain from any further harassment or intimidation against human rights defenders, whether domestic or international, who seek to denounce the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold the human rights of all Palestinians.

The Observatory also calls on the governments of the detainees’ countries of origin -around 45 countries were represented among the participants of the Sumud Flotilla- to deploy all necessary diplomatic actions in order to put pressure on Israel to immediately release their nationals.

The Observatory reaffirms its solidarity with all defenders who, through peaceful means, continue to stand for justice, dignity and human rights, and stresses that the international community must hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law. The Observatory will continue to monitor this situation closely and mobilise all available mechanisms to ensure that those arbitrarily detained are immediately freed and able to continue their legitimate human rights work without fear of reprisal.